Yeah, I've been following that too.
Problem here is, BO does not have a proven engine in the BE-4 given the fact that it has taken them 5+ years to deliver 2 of the gorram things to ULA. And ULA's Vulcan integration tests went on hold after an overpressure event in the LOX turbopump on one of the engines.
Every second that BO screws around with ULA, sabotaging them either accidentally or deliberately, lets SpaceX get that much further ahead on the Starlink constellation. Amazon needs to launch THOUSANDS of satellites to not only catch up with Starlink, but to maintain rights to the radio spectrum they have claimed and orbits they have plotted. The dozen ULA launches they have booked thus far is not even a quarter of what they need to complete their shell.
I can see Amazon buying ULA (not BO... Amazon). They have a satellite groundstation/comms business sector already. By buying ULA, they can work a more sweetheart deal with BO to get engines for a far lower price than ULA was able to do so before, which lowers the cost of each disposable launch. I've also always thought that Vulcan was a stupid rocket; Every configuration needs an expensive GEM-63XL SRB booster or five. There's plenty of room on the base of the rocket to put three, four, or maybe even five BE-4 engines down there rather than only the two that are spec'ed now. This lowers your outlay to Northrop Grumman for every launch. Lighter launches need no SRB's at all, and heavier ones might need a max of 2 or 3. Stretch the first stage tanks by an equivalent amount of mass as the SRB's saved. Vulcan is supposed to be designed to separate the engines from the tanks after MECO, and parachute the engines for helicopter recovery. Push forward with that, proving reuse reliability of the BE-4 engine until New Glenn is finally completed and can land the first stage whole.
I'm going to be really interested to see what happens to Tory Bruno through this. I hope for one of two outcomes... he goes to Lockheed Martin and their Skunkworks boys come out with something that bitchslaps old Jeff Who's face and brings LockMart back into the rocket launch business, or he goes to SpaceX and leads an industry standardization push for satellite buses and payload adapters, destroying much of the bespoke nature of so many satellites that drives up the cost of orbital operations. I'd hate to see him go work for BO. They don't deserve him.
