[jhgb]

> New Shepard was the first to land vertically

Apollo LM was the first to land vertically.

> if it were looking like a failure, ULA would have dropped them a long time ago

That seems to be assuming that they have a choice. Given the fuel difference between AR-1 and BE-4, they've been committed to BE-4 for quite some time, no matter how much progress BO is doing (or not doing) on BE-4.

[Retric]

The first soft landing on the moon occurred in 1966. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_9

Many rockets did soft landing on earth before that point, but none of them had been in space.

[jhgb]

Sure, if that probe's rather crude landing system is enough for you, suit yourself with Luna 9. However, the LM landed on its legs in one piece, just like DC-X, New Shepard, Grasshopper, and F9 first stage did later.

[Retric]

I think it’s fair to classify Luna 9’s landing as soft because at 14 mph it was survivable, though other landers where softer. LM was an achievement not just because humans, but also because it could take off again without maintenance.