Two rockets on launch pads: one on the left during daytime, one on the right at night.
Cover Story

Two launches. Two companies. Two billionaires.

By Cat Hofacker

February/March 2025

The debut of Jeff Bezos’ New Glenn rocket design vividly illustrated the contrast between Blue Origin’s “step by step, ferociously” approach and the “break it till you make it” philosophy that Elon Musk and SpaceX have embraced for the Starship-Super Heavy vehicles. Cat Hofacker analyzes the competing approaches, their origins and what’s at stake.

Departments

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A person with long hair and a suit jacket is smiling against a blue geometric background. The letters
Q & A

Autonomy realist

By Paul Brinkmann

February/March 2025

Ella Atkins, head of Virginia Tech’s Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering

News

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Four men examining a scientific instrument with antennas outdoors.
R&D

Bringing home a piece of space history

By Cat Hofacker

January 10, 2025

Authors of a technical paper describe how Vanguard 1, the second U.S. satellite, could be retrieved, analyzed and displayed at one of the Smithsonian museums

Artificial Intelligence

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Commercial Spaceflight

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Aircraft Design

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