Bezos To Invest $200M in Blue Origin Space Project

[Hobbes]

A space-exploration startup run by Amazon.com Inc. Chief Executive Jeff Bezos announced a roughly $200 million investment to build rockets and capsules in Florida, and then launch them from a nearby Cape Canaveral launchpad that hasn’t been used for a decade.

Surrounded by Florida Gov. Rick Scott and various national and local politicians, Mr. Bezos said his closely held company, Blue Origin LLC, planned to create 300 jobs as part of its initiative. Florida beat roughly a dozen other U.S. states to get the production facility, and Gov. Scott said it highlights the state’s position in the “forefront of new space technologies.”

Mr. Bezos, who over the years has kept many details of Blue Origin’s plans private, said the space startup will use historic Launch Complex 36, located on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, which among other firsts launched the initial American spacecraft to visit other planets.
“We’re not just launching from here, we’re building here,” Mr. Bezos said at the news conference. The pad has been quiet for “too long,” he added. “We can’t wait to fix that.”

In a brief phone interview following the announcement, Mr.Bezos said orbital missions will be conducted from Florida but production of suborbital spacecraft and launches will continue from an existing facility in west Texas.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/bezos-space-startup-blue-origin-lifting-off-in-florida-1442329226

 

[Defnestor]

Wow, that's a pretty uh, distinct rocket you got there.

 

[dennishoddy]

Dude has the money to do it. Good to see he is creating new jobs.

 

[Defnestor]

Even better if he can find a legitimate revenue stream (moon mining, orbital solar panels, etc).