FINALLY HAPPENED! BE-4 POWER showed up, Jeff Bezos shout out! Raptor watch out...

after more than a decade blue origin and Jeff Bezos have reason to celebrate having overcome production issues with the be4 engine the Breakthrough came on Monday January 8th as the be4 engines demonstrated remarkable performance contributing to ula's Triumph in the inaugural Flight of the Vulcan rocket this success is a significant milestone in the Aerospace industry hinting at an exciting future ahead so join me on today's episode of great SpaceX where we'll explore the implications of the be4 engine success on the Aerospace sector and delve into how competitors notably SpaceX might respond to this advancement over the past several years the be4 engine has faced a reputation as a disappointment often drawing ridicule from Blue Origins competitors this sentiment stems from its lengthy development process which began with research in 2011 and an official announcement in 2014 initial promises suggested Readiness for Flight by 2017 but it wasn't until that year that the first be4 engine was fully assembled subsequent test incidents led to the postponement of the new Glenn flights to 2021 a launch that hasn't materialized to date the sluggish progress of the be4 engine has also significantly delayed ula's deployment of Vulcan centaur's inaugural flight causing concern among Associated organizations after a prolonged wait the moment arrived on January 8th of 2024 when the inaugural Flight of the Vulcan Centaur powered by two be4 engines finally took off from lc41 at Cape Canaveral space force station in Florida operating the first stage of the Vulcan rocket the be4 engines played a pivotal role for over 5 minutes from approximately 5 seconds before liftoff until about 4 minutes and 59 seconds after these powerful engines generated an astounding 1.1 million PBS or 500 tons of thrust producing a remarkable mock Diamond a rare visual effect in the rocket industry this effect set the stage for the separation process in subsequent stages to proceed smoothly contributing significantly to the successful execution of the flight as planned therefore blue origin was very proud with its congratulatory tweet to Ula with details emphasizing its contribution congratulations Ula team blue celebrates vulcan's first launch powered by be4 Ula ALS also admitted this when CEO Tori Bruno responded with the message could not have done it without you after years of setbacks the Triumph of the be4 engine marks a Monumental achievement for blue origin this success stands out in their history surpassing the performance of engines like the be3 or sub orbital launch Vehicles such as new Shepard which didn't propel them to the same Heights as their competitors mainly SpaceX this accomplishment has injected renewed confidence into blue origin prompting a surge in engine production efforts to meet upcoming schedules their focus now gravitates towards the long overdue new Glenn rocket especially since Bezos announced increased commitment to Blue origin in a recent podcast with Lex fridman collaborating with NASA blue origin aims to launch the First new Glen flight carrying the Escapade spacecraft to Mars this year while the be4 engine success is promising numerous challenges lie ahead what remains uncertain is whether new Glenn will achieve its anticip at launch this year your insights on this are valuable so share your thoughts in the comment section below are they going to make it after the successful Vulcan Centaur flight congratulations poured in for Ula and blue origin undoubtedly the reaction of Elon Musk and SpaceX their major competitor was of keen interest to many shortly after ula's official announcement of the mission's success musk extended congratulations to both Ula and blue origin although succinct musk's message reflected considerable respect from him and SpaceX toward their rival distinct from its predecessors in the be engine family the be4 stands as blue Origins Maiden engine utilizing liquid methane and liquid oxygen as fuel together with spacex's raptor engine the be4 spearheads the methane Trend in the Aerospace industry both engines are frequently compared due to their significance in the industry in terms of thrust the B4 engine generating up to 250 tons surpasses the current Raptor version Raptor 2 which produces around 230 following the success of the Vulcan Centaur flight the be4 is poised to become a major competitor to spacex's Raptor in the foreseeable future however Raptor 2 holds an advantage with its remarkably High combustion chamber pressure reaching up to 300 bar spacex's super heavy booster employs up to 33 Raptor engines in contrast to new Glenn and Vulcan using seven or two be4 engines respectively consequently Starship retains its position as the most potent rocket globally additionally there are expectations that SpaceX May introduce Raptor 3 this year potentially boasting a Thrust exceeding 269 tons surpassing the be4 in power after achieving its initial success be e4's accomplishment will undoubtedly spur Elon Musk and SpaceX to accelerate their future endeavors the emergence of a new robust competitor will invigorate SpaceX particularly after a year where they've held a dominant position in the Aerospace industry alongside their established Vehicles like Falcon 9 Falcon heavy and dragon spacex's forthcoming Focus will undoubtedly shift toward starship's development there are clear indications that SpaceX will expedite the production and testing of Starship evidenced by increased Revelations and robust activities observed towards the end of 2023 launch activities are also slated to intensify aiming to propel Starship into orbit swiftly and establish stable operations this acceleration in response to competitive challenges from Rivals like blue origin Ula and others underscores The crucial role of competition in fostering growth among organizations ultimately contributing to sustaining the United States position in the global Space Race as the Space Race heats up between SpaceX and blue origin their competitive Dynamic Sparks Innovation and Rapid progress in the realm of Rocket development however the impact of groundbreaking successes like the be4 engine extends far beyond this high stakes rivalry there's no doubt Ula stands to gain the most from the success of the be4 engine marking the triumphant launch of their new rocket after numerous delays the Vulcan Centaur is prepared to supplant the atlas and Delta Rockets positioning itself as ula's Ace in the ongoing Space Race however the road ahead presents several challenges for Tor Bruno and his team their upcoming missions will serve as crucial tests of their capabilities with the next flight scheduled in approximately 3 months carrying the significant payload of dream Chaser the first space plane since the retirement of the Space Shuttle ula's future missions hinge significantly on their collaborative efforts with blue origin cementing it as a pivotal strategy for the company when discussing Dreamchaser Sierra space emerges as another organization celebrating the Triumph of the Vulcan and be4 engines the delays involving these elements had put Sierra space on edge regarding their inaugural Mission consequently alongside their own vehicle tests Sierra space closely monitored Ula and vulcan's inaugural flight now with this success Sierra space can shift more attention to final testing gearing up for the launch of Dreamchaser around April a significant milestone for their entry into the competitive space Arena simultaneously the recent success of Ula and blue origin holds indirect benefits for NASA and other government agencies despite the paragr lunar Lander's inability to reach the moon as planned due to encountered problems the impressive performances of the Vulcan and B e E4 engines stand as commendable achievements consequently these agencies will have an additional viable option to support their forthcoming space missions moreover the impact of the be4 and Vulcan success isn't confined solely to the United States this achievement marks the final shift away from the Russian rd10 engine which had been a staple on the atlas 5 for decades with this advancement the US now boasts another new engine capable of competing on a global scale particularly against formidable Rivals like China China has made significant strides with methane rockets in the latter part of 2023 and the emergence of the be4 engine is a robust assertion from the US reinforcing its position as the world's Premier Aerospace power with the stage set for intense competition and breakthroughs in rocket technology isn't the evolving landscape of space exploration fascinating following numerous setbacks be4 has finally made a significant stride in advancing the US Aerospace industry however the competition ahead will be formidable for blue origin especially with other organizations gearing up to intensify their competitive efforts notably SpaceX in this landscape the critical question arises can the be4 engine sustain its exceptional performance displayed in the last flight AS blue origin Ula NASA China and SpaceX gear up for the race the question of which organization will emerge triumphant in the 2024 Space Race becomes pivotal let me know your thoughts on this in the comment section down below otherwise that's about it for today's episode folks thank you so much for tuning in and if you want to support our Channel even further you can hop on over to our patreon through the link in the description below sign up and become a patron today to gain access to exclusive content sounds exciting right in any case we still appreciate your generosity and your passion for space exploration as always this is Kevin from great SpaceX and until next time keep looking up