Amazon's Jeff Bezos finally started selling rocket engines

"Blue Origin", a private rocket development company led by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has won a rocket engine supply contract to rocket development makers. It is pointed out that the opponent who defeated the engine supply competition was a long-established Aerojet Rocketdyne of the US Air Force warrant that it is a historical event for the rocket industry.

Amazon's Jeff Bezos will now sell rocket engines, too | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/09/amazons-jeff-bezos-will-now-sell-rocket-engines-too/

United Launch Alliance has officially announced that it will adopt "BE-4" developed by Blue Origin for the rocket engine to be installed in the newly developed rocket "Vulcan Centaur". It is talked about Blue Origin, a start-up company, defeating Aerojet Rocketdyne, the most historic rocket engine maker in the United States that has been supplying rocket engines to the United Launch Alliance.

BE-4 uses methane for rocket fuel, and the propulsive force itself is also attracting attention from the aerospace industry by being 25% stronger than the main engine of the space shuttle. Blue Origin's CEO Bob Smith said, "We are very pleased that the United Launch Alliance selected the BE-4 engine, the Unified Launch Alliance is a rocket launch service provider responsible for the national security mission, our team I am delighted to be part of that mission. "

Also, Tree Bruno of United Launch Alliance said "We are pleased with the alliance with Blue Origin and we are looking forward to the success of the first flight of next generation rocket," said Vulcan rocket with BE - 4 2020 We are clarifying that the plan to make the first flight in the middle of the year is proceeding smoothly.

Blue Origin has surpassed the rocket engine supply competition because BE-4 is considered to be superior not only in performance but also in terms of cost. For example, the US Air Force, which receives the rocket engine AR1 from Aerojet Rocketdyne, is responsible for the majority of engine development costs. In contrast, Mr. Jeff Bezos of Blue Origin does not require the rocket maker to pay the rocket engine development cost, which means that there is a great merit in terms of cost for rocket developers.

Aerojet Rocketdyne, who was defeated by the competition, said the United Launch Alliance has signed a wide range of rocket launch contracts with the US Air Force, and adopting unproven BE-4 has a national security problem, He seems to be doing lobbying for parliament members in search of a rocket engine supply contract.

In the past, there was a history that Aerojet Rocketdyne won the winner in a mid-cost view of cost effectiveness in the rocket engine supply contract competition in the American aerospace industry. However, with the introduction of SpaceX, which developed Falcon 9 and won the material shipping contract with NASA to the International Space Station, the tradition that old businesses are adopted is changing. The fact that the United Launch Alliance chose Blue Origin instead of Aerojet Rocketdyne could be an event symbolizing future aerospace industry changes.