The competition demonstrates two kinds of clout at work: Musk’s SpaceX was once seen as an upstart challenger to the space establishment — but after a string of successes, it now plays a leading role in NASA’s vision for commercial spaceflight. Bezos’ Blue Origin doesn’t have as much of a track record in spaceflight, but it does have powerful allies in the launch industry as well as in the halls of Congress.

Billionaires’ battle for historic launch pad goes into overtime – NBC News.com