Jeff Bezos

The first launch is one thing, and we'll do that in 2024 coming up in this coming year. The real thing that's the bigger challenge is making sure that our factory is efficiently manufacturing at rate. So rate production. So consider if you want to launch New Glenn 24 times a year. You need to manufacture a upper stage, since they're expendable, every year. you know, twice a month.

You need to do one every two weeks. So you need to have all of your manufacturing facilities and processes and inspection techniques and acceptance tests and everything operating at rate. And rate manufacturing is at least as difficult as designing the vehicle in the first place. And the same thing. So every upper stage has... two BE3U engines.

You need to do one every two weeks. So you need to have all of your manufacturing facilities and processes and inspection techniques and acceptance tests and everything operating at rate. And rate manufacturing is at least as difficult as designing the vehicle in the first place. And the same thing. So every upper stage has... two BE3U engines.

You need to do one every two weeks. So you need to have all of your manufacturing facilities and processes and inspection techniques and acceptance tests and everything operating at rate. And rate manufacturing is at least as difficult as designing the vehicle in the first place. And the same thing. So every upper stage has... two BE3U engines.

So those engines, you know, you need, if you're gonna launch the vehicle twice a month, you need four engines a month. So you need an engine every week. So you need to be, that engine needs to be being produced at rate. And that's a, and there's all of the things that you need to do that, all the right machine tools, all the right fixtures, the right people, process, et cetera.

So those engines, you know, you need, if you're gonna launch the vehicle twice a month, you need four engines a month. So you need an engine every week. So you need to be, that engine needs to be being produced at rate. And that's a, and there's all of the things that you need to do that, all the right machine tools, all the right fixtures, the right people, process, et cetera.

So those engines, you know, you need, if you're gonna launch the vehicle twice a month, you need four engines a month. So you need an engine every week. So you need to be, that engine needs to be being produced at rate. And that's a, and there's all of the things that you need to do that, all the right machine tools, all the right fixtures, the right people, process, et cetera.

So it's one thing to build a first article, right? Right? So that's, you know, to launch New Glenn for the first time, you need to produce a first article. But that's not the hard part. The hard part is everything that's going on behind the scenes to build a factory that can produce New Glenns at rate.

So it's one thing to build a first article, right? Right? So that's, you know, to launch New Glenn for the first time, you need to produce a first article. But that's not the hard part. The hard part is everything that's going on behind the scenes to build a factory that can produce New Glenns at rate.

So it's one thing to build a first article, right? Right? So that's, you know, to launch New Glenn for the first time, you need to produce a first article. But that's not the hard part. The hard part is everything that's going on behind the scenes to build a factory that can produce New Glenns at rate.

Think of the first article as kind of pushing, it pushes all of the rate manufacturing technology along. In other words, it's kind of the test article in a way that's testing out your manufacturing technologies.

Think of the first article as kind of pushing, it pushes all of the rate manufacturing technology along. In other words, it's kind of the test article in a way that's testing out your manufacturing technologies.

Think of the first article as kind of pushing, it pushes all of the rate manufacturing technology along. In other words, it's kind of the test article in a way that's testing out your manufacturing technologies.

Yes. I mean, I don't want to make it sound like any of it is easy. I mean, the people who are designing the engines and all this, all of it is hard for sure. But the challenge right now is driving really hard to get to rate manufacturing and to do that in an efficient way. Again, kind of back to our cost point. If you get to rate manufacturing in an inefficient way,

Yes. I mean, I don't want to make it sound like any of it is easy. I mean, the people who are designing the engines and all this, all of it is hard for sure. But the challenge right now is driving really hard to get to rate manufacturing and to do that in an efficient way. Again, kind of back to our cost point. If you get to rate manufacturing in an inefficient way,

Yes. I mean, I don't want to make it sound like any of it is easy. I mean, the people who are designing the engines and all this, all of it is hard for sure. But the challenge right now is driving really hard to get to rate manufacturing and to do that in an efficient way. Again, kind of back to our cost point. If you get to rate manufacturing in an inefficient way,

You haven't really solved the cost problem. And maybe you haven't really moved the state of the art forward. All this has to be about moving the state of the art forward. There are easier businesses to do. I always tell people, look, if you are trying to make money, start a salty snack food company or something. You write that idea down. Make the Lex Friedman potato chips. Don't say it.

You haven't really solved the cost problem. And maybe you haven't really moved the state of the art forward. All this has to be about moving the state of the art forward. There are easier businesses to do. I always tell people, look, if you are trying to make money, start a salty snack food company or something. You write that idea down. Make the Lex Friedman potato chips. Don't say it.

You haven't really solved the cost problem. And maybe you haven't really moved the state of the art forward. All this has to be about moving the state of the art forward. There are easier businesses to do. I always tell people, look, if you are trying to make money, start a salty snack food company or something. You write that idea down. Make the Lex Friedman potato chips. Don't say it.

But yeah, it's hard. You see what I'm saying? It's like there's nothing easy about this business, but it's its own reward. It's fascinating. It's worthwhile. It's meaningful. And so I don't want to pick on salty snack food companies, but I think it's less meaningful. At the end of the day, you're not going to have accomplished something amazing, even if you do make a lot of money out of it.