@PopularMechanics _ April 2019 67EARTH’S
ATMOSPHERESUBORBITAL
LOW-EARTH ORBIT
DEEP SPACE
NEW GLENN
Blue Origin
The New Glenn rocket,
a massive beast that
will take payloads into
Earth orbit and beyond,
could certainly
get people to the
moon. (And Blue
Origin is designing a
robotic lander, called
Blue Moon.) It fits with
the company’s goal
of “a future where
millions of people are
living and working in
space.” Orbital payload
missions are tar-
geted for 2021; tourist
launches at least a few
years behind.
WHEN
2025 (at the earliest)
PRICE
TBD
STARSHIP
SpaceX
With a design straight
out of a sci-fi paper-
back from the 1950s,
the 387-foot-tall Star-
ship is designed to
bring as many as 100
passengers to far-flung
destinations in the
solar system. Japanese
billionaire Yusaku
Maezawa has signed
on to be the Starship’s
first customer (with a
“significant deposit,”
according to Elon
Musk). He intends to
take six to eight artists
on a trip around the
moon.
WHEN
2023 (at the earliest)
PRICE
“Significant.”DEEP SPACESPACESHIPTWO
NEW
SHEPARDCREW DRAGON
STARSHIP
NEW
GLENN