London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 22, 2026

'Can't Sue Your Way to Moon': Musk Trolls Bezos Over Lawsuits, Shape of New Shephard Rocket

'Can't Sue Your Way to Moon': Musk Trolls Bezos Over Lawsuits, Shape of New Shephard Rocket

The comments come during a legal struggle between Amazon and SpaceX over Musk's Starlink satellite network. Starlink already delivers internet connection to the majority of the planet and is a direct competitor to Amazon's, Samsung's, and other companies' proposed plans.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk ridiculed Jeff Bezos amid an ongoing legal battle over Starlink satellites and a NASA partnership, noting the memefied shape of the Blue Origins' rocket and attempts to interfere with its activities through lawsuits.

Musk was speaking on Tuesday at the 2021 Code Conference in Beverly Hills, and was queried about Bezos. The eccentric entrepreneur joked that the Amazon founder's rocket "could be a different shape," in response to the question of how he would describe the form of the rocket from a "technological point of view."

The remark apparently alluded to the little phallic shape of the New Shepard rocket, whose design drew similarities to male genitalia and spawned a slew of memes.

Furthermore, the self-proclaimed "Technoking of Tesla" was asked about the ongoing legal disputes with Bezos.

However, shortly after the live conference, Amazon reportedly emailed an unsolicited 13-page list of lawsuits, government petitions, and other legal proceedings taken by SpaceX over the years, claiming that “it is difficult to reconcile their own historical record with their recent position on others filing similar actions."

Musk's retort to the email was not long in coming.


Earlier, Amazon asked the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to block a proposal that would significantly expand the constellation of over 1,600 satellites.

According to reports, Amazon is also contesting SpaceX over $2.9 billion in NASA funding for a Starship lunar lander and extra time to bring the company's New Glenn rocket into orbit. The launch date for the rocket is reportedly set for late 2022.

Previously, NASA chose SpaceX to play a role in the mission of putting the next generation of astronauts on the Moon.

Bezos and Virgin's Richard Branson have both entered orbit in recent months, in what has been nicknamed the billionaire space race, while Musk's business successfully conducted the first all-civilian space voyage only earlier this month.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Andy Burnham Reaffirms UK Net-Zero Target With £30 Million Community Energy Fund
Scottish Labour Leader Backs Rosebank and Jackdaw North Sea Projects
UK Consumer Confidence Falls to Three-Year Low
UK Diesel Prices Approach £2 a Litre as Global Supply Shortages Intensify
Chiltern Railways Returns to Public Ownership as UK Rail Nationalisation Advances
British Museum Faces Questions Over Peter Thiel’s Private Bayeux Tapestry Viewing
Earl Spencer Memoir Excerpts Renew Public Debate Over Diana’s Death
Liberal Democrats Gather in Brighton for Autumn Conference
Mothercare Shares Plunge as Middle East Store Closures Threaten Long-Term Solvency
Kent Police Treat Folkestone Hotel Fire as Suspicious
Caribbean Governments Advance Reparations Campaign Seeking Engagement With Britain
Scottish Labour Leader Backs Rosebank and Jackdaw North Sea Projects
FCA Urges Young Adults to Trace £1.5 Billion in Unclaimed Child Trust Funds
UK Competition Regulator Opens Inquiry Into McCormick-Unilever Foods Deal
Public Inquiry Into Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Mental Health Failings Set to Begin
Nigel Farage Looks to US Immigration Enforcement Model for UK Border Policy
Chiltern Railways Moves Into Public Ownership
Security Review Raises Concerns Over Sensitive UK Police Data Stored on Microsoft Cloud
Burnham Government Warns of Difficult Autumn Budget as Fiscal Headroom Narrows
Bank of England Holds Rates at 3.75% as Inflation Rises to 3.1%
Ed Sheeran Tour Faces Backlash After Macklemore Is Removed Over Pro-Palestinian Remarks
Vandalism of Traffic Cameras Intensifies Across Parts of England
Nearly 300 Evacuated as Fire Hits Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone
King Charles Warns AI Executives About Risks From Uncontrolled Technology
Church of England Apologises for Role in Historical Forced Adoption Practices
UK Debate Over Online Speech Intensifies After Arrest Figures Draw Scrutiny
Oxfordshire Village Holds Symbolic Independence Vote Over Asylum Accommodation Plan
Nigel Farage and Richard Tice Sue National Crime Agency Over Alleged Banking Data Leaks
Apple Introduces Stricter Age Checks for UK Accounts
BBC Cash Reserves Fall 66% to £125 Million as Broadcaster Restructures
McLaren Announces £500 Million UK Investment and Plans 1,000 Jobs
Green Party Wins Historic Gorton and Denton By-Election as Labour Falls to Third
Burnham Government Prepares October Budget Under Growing Fiscal Pressure
UK Energy Suppliers Pull Fixed-Price Deals as Wholesale Markets Turn More Volatile
Bank of England Holds Rates at 3.75% as Middle East Energy Shock Raises Inflation Risks
Addison Lee Founder Loses £20 Million UK Tax Tribunal Case
BrewDog Creditors Face Losses on About £190 Million of Debt
Harrods Seeks to Recover Abuse Compensation Costs From Mohamed Al Fayed’s Estate
Ed Davey Targets Reform UK as Liberal Democrat Conference Opens
Great Britain Retail Sales Rise 0.5% in August
NHS England Approves Life-Extending Treatment for Incurable Breast Cancer
Proposals to Limit NHS ADHD Diagnoses Draw Criticism From Patient Groups
Resolution Foundation Warns of Housing Cost Crunch for Low-Income UK Families
BBC Cash Reserves Fall to Decade Low as Annual Deficit Reaches £121 Million
Millisecond Software Error Triggered Major UK Air Traffic Control Disruption
Twenty Women Underwent Unnecessary Mastectomies During NHS Cancer Care
Sensitive UK Police Data Found Vulnerable to Access by Foreign Actors
British Steel Faces Renewed Pressure for a Long-Term Financial Plan
MPs Urge Government to End Thames Water Restructuring Talks With U.S. Hedge Funds
Andy Burnham Warns of Difficult UK Budget Choices as Inflation Returns to 3.1%
×