Nearly 25 years after Jeff Bezos founded Blue Origin, the company is finally poised to send its first rocket to orbit. New Glenn could lift off as early as next week.

SpaceX is among the most notable and renowned private companies in the world. Indeed, most Americans have heard of the Elon Musk-led company, which has secured a number of very lucrative government contracts over the years in part due to the company's ability to successfully launch (and land) rockets in a reliable way.