Blue Origin, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s rocket company, announced plans to build rockets and launch them into orbit from Florida on Tuesday.
The secretive space startup has leased Launch Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, reported the NY Times. The historical launch site served as the home to 145 launches over 43 years, but has been out of commission since 2005.
Blue Origin plans on investing $200 million to build their own rocket manufacturing facility, adjacent to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, eventually creating 330 jobs.
“As a kid, I was inspired by the giant Saturn 5 (Apollo moon) missions that roared to life from these shores. Today, we’re thrilled to be coming to the Sunshine State for a new era of exploration,” Bezos told an invitation-only crowd, reported Reuters.
The company will compete with Elon Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX, as well as with Boeing and Lockheed Martin’s joint venture, United Launch Alliance, as both companies are already using nearby launching pads.
Blue Origin is currently developing a rocket aimed at achieving orbit, although the specifics of Bezos’s business model remains unclear at this time.
Regardless, Blue Origin plans on launching rockets later this decade.
"I'm a huge believer that this is a viable and good business," Bezos said. "I'm also kind of well known for being long-term oriented, although I think Blue Origin is going to set a new standard for me in that regard."
image courtesy of Walter McBride/INFphoto.com