A panel of administrative judges at an obscure federal agency ruled this week that a largely behind-the-scenes clash of billionaire entrepreneurs, which pits Elon Musk against Jeff Bezos, can continue.

The dispute centers on a patent awarded to Bezos Blue Origin space company that gives it the right to launch and then land rockets on a floating barge in the ocean. But Musks SpaceX, which earlier this year became the first company to attempt such a landing, challenged the patent, saying that the idea on how to pull off a landing at sea had been discussed in space circles for years.

Earlier this week, administrative patent judges at the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board agreed with SpaceX's argumentsor most of themand is allowing the issue to go to a full administrative hearing before the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

Both companies declined to comment. Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com, also owns TheWashington Post.

At stake is the right to pursue what many view as a potentially momentous breakthrough in space flight: the ability to launch a rocket into space, return it to Earth, and then launch it again as if it were a commercial air plane.

The ability to reuse rockets could dramatically lower the cost of space flight. And whoever is able to do it first could capitalize in a huge way.

A drawing submitted to the Patent Office by Blue Origin of how it planned to develop a re-usable rocket.

While Musk, who founded Tesla Motors and Paypal, has pioneered many innovations in electrical cars and e-commerce, he is also keenly focused on rocket reusability. SpaceX has been working on the technology for years, and in January it attempted the unprecedented feat of landingthe first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on a floating barge it calls an autonomous spaceport droneship.

The rocket hit the platform and exploded. But even making it to the barge was considered something of a triumph, and the company is forging ahead with plans to try again.

If Blue Origin is able to hold on to its patent, SpaceXs ability to carry out its plans could be cut short. But with the patent boards ruling that seems unlikely, said Andrew Rush, a patent attorney specializing in aerospace who is not affiliated with the case.

Visit link:

Clash of the billionaires: Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are duking it out over space