MY ROCKET IS BIGGER THAN YOURS

THE stairway to the heavens starts in Texas. In 2003 a young Elon Musk was scouting for a suitable location to fulfil his dream of becoming a space pioneer. He had started Space Exploration Technologies Corp – SpaceX for short – with the aim of building rockets and one day sending humans to the moon, or even Mars.

First, though, he had to find somewhere to carry out the noisy and dangerous job of rocket testing. The wide open spaces of free-wheeling Texas, where folk are more relaxed about firearms and explosives, provided the perfect solution. There, amid the rattlesnakes and fire ants and searing heat, Musk set to work.

At the same time, 800 kilometres across the state, another American entrepreneur was looking for a place to indulge his own space flight ambitions. Jeff Bezos had set up his space company, Blue Origin, two years before Musk’s, but he had been sidetracked by problems at Amazon, his internet shopping business that came close to bankruptcy in 2002.

When it rebounded a year later, Bezos was ready to reach for the stars. Away from prying eyes, near the tiny Texan town of Van Horn, he discovered the ideal spot for launches.

Unlike Musk, Bezos was shy about his plans, and when the helicopter taking him to visit potential sites crash-landed, it was as much a setback because of the publicity as for the damage. A shaken Bezos walked away from the wreck with only minor injuries, explaining that he was looking for a ranch. Few suspected when he bought thousands