Watch the debunking of Starship on the 'Common Sense Skeptic' channel on Youtube, they do a pretty decent job of explaining why most of the press releases are utter scheiss.
So I’m not sure how we can call the Starship program vaporware? There are stainless steel towers flying in Texas - the only vapor is their exhaust.
Common Sense Skeptic has found a niche exploiting the Elon Musk hate and is profiting from it. There are many people making incredible content on yt but he isn't one. Those that really know what they are doing and putting a lot more work into the accuracy of their videos have a very different opinion on SpaceX and Starship.
And I'm not sure what 'press releases' you are even talking about.
I seriously recommend not getting your information from known Musk haters who produce 'debunking' videos.
GOES is a series of ~$½B weather satellites. For large, expensive sats like this, NASA has and established process of purchasing launch services, and to compete for them you have to prove and certify the safety of your rocket before you can apply. IIRC this launch requires LSP category 2 "medium risk" certification, which requires having successful past launches. Since BO has never launched anything to orbit, they cannot compete.
The entity likely to contest this award is ULA, because they are the one other American company who would have been capable of launching this payload. Note that doing so would not be in any way notable -- high-value government contracts are almost contested by default, just because why wouldn't you when it costs so little to do and there is $150M on the line.
They tried to block SpaceX access to the 39A launch pad in Florida (Blue Origin claimed they would have a HUMAN rated orbital class vehicle shortly ready to go).
That gave rise to the first long callout I think from Elon -
"(Blue Origin) has not yet succeeded in creating a reliable suborbital spacecraft, despite spending 10 years in development," Musk told Space News. "If they do somehow show up in the next five years with a vehicle qualified to NASA's human rating standards that can dock with the Space Station, which is what Pad 39A is meant to do, we will gladly accommodate their needs. Frankly, I think we are more likely to discover unicorns dancing in the flame duct." - Elon Musk - 2013
SpaceX won that fight.
SpaceX is offering starlink services to folks. Bezos/Amazon has been complaining nonstop about incomplete applications needing to be rejected - ironically despite not having even provided options for how they will be launching their sats.
Obviously on the HLS award, the BO landed payload was pathetic, the rocket totally unproven (and no where to be seen), and the price much higher. Reality is if you include ideas like re-using the (pressure tested) tanks of the starship after landing, SpaceX is landing a huge mass and volume.
And the list goes on.
I have no idea why Bezos and company don't just focus on doing their own thing and getting some success there. Do a small sat orbital launch vehicle maybe just to get something going?
There are now actually quite some flights waiting! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_Heavy#Launches_and_payl...
https://www.goes-r.gov/multimedia/dataAndImageryImagesGoes-1...
The downlink app for Mac makes it easy to set your desktop background to a 'live' feed.
Edit: better imagery link: https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES/fulldisk.php?sat=G17
https://spacenews.com/spacex-wins-contract-to-launch-weather...
