Musk and Bezos Race for Moon and Satellites, Atlantic Writer Says

Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos each want to colonize the moon, mine its resources and launch thousands more satellites, Atlantic writer Josh Tyrangiel said in an interview on NPR's Fresh Air. Tyrangiel said the two billionaires' only real competition is each other. NPR

The interview focused on his November cover story for The Atlantic, Choose Your Overlord: Musk or Bezos?, which profiles Bezos and Musk in a race to control outer space. Tyrangiel is a staff writer for the magazine. The Atlantic

Blue Origin is the aerospace company founded by Bezos. Bezos stepped down as chief executive of Amazon in 2021 and later went to space aboard a rocket built by Blue Origin. SpaceX is Musk's company. The Atlantic

Both companies have large projects in development tied to the moon and to Earth orbit. Blue Origin plans to deploy thousands of satellites for a new Terawave communications network, with deployment planned to begin in the last quarter of 2027. Reuters

Blue Origin has shifted resources to its Blue Moon lander for NASA. Musk has tweaked SpaceX's mission after its merger with xAI and ahead of a $1 trillion IPO. Reuters

Tyrangiel also discussed his reporting in an Atlantic podcast episode, The Incredible Ambitions and Rivalry of Musk and Bezos. He said the plans by Bezos and Musk for traveling to the moon are quite complementary. The Atlantic