When Jeff Bezos announced he would be aboard Blue Origin's first manned space flight, many people were surprised, considering that the company has never sent people into space. Being the first may give you the right to brag, but it is also dangerous.
Of course, the reason Bezos sought a spot on the New Shepherd rocket on July 20 is simply because he can and owns a company that sends rockets into space. Also, in the race against his billionaire comrades with space ambitions, mainly Elon Musk and Richard Branson, who own SpaceX and Virgin Galactic respectively, Bezos would be first. This is again, the right reason to boast.
Most of us have a laid back attitude when it comes to painting a picture about ourselves. We hope our neighbors notice that we are driving a brand new car, or say how well our children speak English at school, and so on.
However, it so happened that this "race", about which Bezos talked so much, did not actually win. On July 11, at 9 a.m., Richard Branson began his space voyage, in front of Bezos.
Of course, this led to a rather small war between the two. Blue Origin, in a post, underlined that "Branson's trip would not be counted as a space flight as it would not cross the 100 km Kármán line", which is the commonly used space barrier in most countries. It was said that "Branson flight will go only over 80 km".
From the beginning, New Shepard ëas designed to fly above the Kármán line so none of our astronauts have an asterisk next to their name. For 96% of the world's population, space begins 100 km up at the internationally recognized Kármán line. pic.tëitter.com / QRoufBIrUJ
- Blue Origin (@blueorigin) July 9, 2021
The company put together a chart that noted the difference in the two trips because, according to reports, "Bezos was not happy." This is very important to him and even, in an Instagram post, Jeff says that "he has an eternal dream".
However, it has been just as important for Branson, whose Virgin Galactic company has been in space racing for years, but has usually been overshadowed by high-profile companies, led by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. To say "I beat them both" is a great PR move for Branson.
Having said that, it is clear that Bezos, rightly, is angry. Therefore, his response on Instagram "is worth mentioning", say many business experts.
Even if this war is between billionaires and their space toys, in the long run, adventure and exploration are good for all of us. And, from this point of view, this is a good thing for Bezos and Blue Origin as well. An unsuccessful flight for Branson would certainly await Bezos's trip. It would be a disaster and would certainly set private space exploration years, if not decades back. Thus, Bezos wrote:
"I wish you and the whole team a successful and safe flight tomorrow. Good luck!"
Vieë this post on Instagram
So, even after a little opposition, Bezos wished success to the rival and this is exactly the kind of emotionally intelligent response that every leader should have.
Source: The Inc
