While Jeff Bezos has spent $14 billion to achieve his first space launch, his billionaire rival has built a thriving business, mostly with other people’s money.

Blue Origin and SpaceX both launched rockets on 16 January, but while Jeff Bezos' company saw a launch success with New Glenn, Elon Musk's Starship exploded. What does this mean for the future of the space industry?

The Amazon founder’s space company marked a major milestone Thursday with the first test flight of its New Glenn rocket.

The billionaire space race entered a new phase today when Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin successfully launched its 320-foot-tall New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

On Friday, the FAA issued a mishap investigation against SpaceX after the upper stage of the Starship lost communications and then blew up during its seventh test flight on Thursday minutes after its launch from the company’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

The uncrewed New Glenn rocket took off at 2:03 a.m. EST from Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Blue Origin said.

Blue Origin scrubs New Glenn's debut launch amid technical issues, keeping SpaceX's lead intact in the commercial space race.

Spectators on Saturday watched as Jacklyn, Blue Origin's rocket landing vessel, returned to Port Canaveral just as it left.

To follow FLORIDA TODAY Space Team live coverage of Tuesday's mission, visit floridatoday.com/space starting about 90 minutes before liftoff.

While SpaceX is not the sole new launch company, it has set the pace for reducing the cost and increasing the reliability of space launches.

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, and Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, have been engaged in a public feud for years. Musk has criticized Bezos as a "copycat" on social media, mocked Blue Origin's lunar landing design,