And this is why Blue Origin will ultimately come out ahead in the private launch race. This, for the most part, is technology that once shown possibly, is possible to replicate.
But what it takes is money, lots and lots of money. Bezos has that....
But what it takes is money, lots and lots of money. Bezos has that....
As a case in point, Blue Origin started before SpaceX. They have put more money into development than SpaceX. But they have yet to launch a single rocket into orbit.
And yet, Blue Origin is not bad. They appear to be in the same ballpark of costs as NASA originally estimated for development on the Falcon 1. They are just failing to rewrite the rules the way that SpaceX has consistently done.
That said, if SpaceX ever fails as a business because Elon takes one risk too many, I'm sure that Blue Origin will happily buy the technology...
And while the Merlin series has been conservative in most aspects, Merlin 1D has a few unique characteristics, like the pintle injector (previously used in the Apollo LM), phased-shutoff (or whatever the spelling is, from Tom Mueller's interview from half a year ago), use of subchilled propellants and a very tightly manufacture process that makes it very cheap to produce.
On top of that it's now the engine with highest thrust-to-weight ratio in history that has flown, despite being open cycle (gas generator). And not a single M1D failed so far.
Generally I dont feel money always wins these things. It can certainly help but its only one of many variables to success.