Bezos Shares Mysterious Turtle Image on X
The founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, rarely posts on social media platforms owned by his rival Elon Musk. However, on Monday, Bezos broke this trend by sharing a black-and-white image of a turtle emerging from the shadows on X (formerly known as Twitter). The photo was devoid of any text and may have left some observers puzzled.
For those familiar with Bezos’ privately owned space company, Blue Origin, however, the message was clear. The company’s coat of arms prominently features two turtles, a reference to Aesop’s Fable “The Tortoise and the Hare,” where the slow but steady tortoise wins the race over a quicker but overconfident hare.
Musk Announces Shift in Focus to the Moon
Bezos’ post came about 12 hours after Musk made significant waves in the space community by announcing that SpaceX was pivoting its focus from Mars to the Moon as a near-term destination. This marked a major shift in Musk’s thinking, given his long-standing vision of building a multi-planetary civilization on Mars.
Bezos’ Vision for Lunar Exploration
The timing and nature of Bezos’ post must have provided him with some satisfaction. He is also a believer in human settlement of space but has always advocated that our spacefaring species should begin their journey on the Moon before building orbital space habitats.
Bezos’ Message to Musk
In posting an image of a turtle, Bezos was sending two clear messages to Musk. Firstly, it was reminiscent of his infamous “Welcome to the Club” tweet more than a decade ago. Secondly, he was telling Musk that slow and steady wins the race.
Blue Origin’s New Moon Plan
The answer to why Bezos thinks Blue Origin can compete with SpaceX lies in two documents obtained by Ars Technica. These documents outline an accelerated Artemis architecture that Blue Origin is now developing, aiming for a lunar landing before 2030 without requiring orbital refueling.
Details of the New Plan
- Uncrewed Demo Mission: This mission requires three launches of the New Glenn rocket. The first two launches each put a “Transfer stage” into low-Earth orbit, while the third launch puts a “Blue Moon MK2-IL” (Initial Lander) into orbit.
- Crewed Demo Mission: This mission requires four launches of the New Glenn rocket. After docking with the lander and Orion spacecraft in near-rectilinear halo orbit, the crew will board for a lunar landing.
The Race is On
With China’s state-run program also joining the race back to the Moon, the 21st-century space competition now includes three major players: China, SpaceX, and Blue Origin. The challenge ahead for Bezos’ company is significant, but with a clear vision and accelerated plans, they are determined to make their mark in lunar exploration.