Heinlein Prize Awarded to Bezos

The Heinlein Prize, given for progress in commercial space, was awarded to Jeff Bezos on June 21st. Mr. Bezos is the third winner of the prize, following Dr. Peter Diamandis and Elon Musk. The prize is awarded every five years.

The prize announcement stated:

Under Bezos’ leadership, Blue Origin developed a number of technology firsts that are driving U.S. space competitiveness. The reusable BE-3, a liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen engine, is now being used in Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft. New Shepard is the first rocket ever to fly above the Karman line into space and then land vertically upon the Earth. Furthermore, it has done so multiple times with the same rocket hardware – not even removing the engine between flights. In late 2014, Blue Origin reached a commercial agreement with a private launch company to develop the BE-4 engine which could be used to power the next generation of U.S. launch vehicles.

In response to receiving the award, Mr. Bezos stated:

Robert Heinlein inspired millions with his visionary—and incredibly entertaining—stories...Heinlein foresaw a thriving future with humans throughout the solar system. We won’t stop working to make that vision come true.

Let's hope that many others are following in the awardees' steps to push us into space.