Blue Origin

Blue Origin Feather

Blue Origin, LLC is an American privately-funded aerospace manufacturer and suborbital spaceflight services company headquartered in Kent, Washington. Founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, Blue Origin is focused on developing technologies to enable private human access to space with the goal of dramatically lowering costs and increasing reliability. The company is known for its New Shepard suborbital rocket system, designed to take astronauts and research payloads past the Kármán line – the internationally recognized boundary of space.

History

Blue Origin was established by Jeff Bezos in September 2000. The company's name refers to Earth, which Bezos describes as the blue origin of all human space endeavors. Initially secretive about its plans and progress, Blue Origin started to publicly share its visions and achievements in the mid-2010s as it made significant strides in rocket development and test flights.

Vehicles and Technology

New Shepard

The New Shepard is a vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing (VTVL), human-rated suborbital rocket that is being developed by Blue Origin for the space tourism market. Named after astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space, New Shepard is designed to autonomously fly six passengers more than 100 kilometers above Earth, allowing them to experience a few minutes of weightlessness and see the curvature of the planet before returning to the ground. The New Shepard capsule features large windows, providing passengers with expansive views of space and Earth.

New Glenn

New Glenn is a heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle under development by Blue Origin. Named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, New Glenn is designed to be reusable and capable of carrying people and payloads to Earth orbit and beyond. Its first stage is intended to land on a ship at sea, similar to the SpaceX Falcon 9's booster landing, which would allow it to be flown multiple times.

Blue Moon

Blue Origin is also developing a lunar lander named Blue Moon, aimed at enabling a sustainable human presence on the Moon. Announced in 2019, Blue Moon is designed to carry a variety of payloads to the lunar surface, supporting NASA's goals of returning humans to the Moon and establishing a long-term colony as part of the Artemis program.

Business Ventures

Beyond its own spacecraft, Blue Origin is involved in several partnerships and contracts with other aerospace companies, NASA, and the Department of Defense. The company is a key player in the emerging commercial spaceflight industry, competing with other companies such as SpaceX and Virgin Galactic for contracts and market share in satellite launches, human spaceflight, and lunar exploration.

Facilities

Blue Origin's primary manufacturing and launch facilities are located in Kent, Washington; Van Horn, Texas; and Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Texas site is home to its suborbital test flights, while orbital launches are planned to take place from Cape Canaveral.

Vision and Goals

Jeff Bezos has articulated a vision for Blue Origin that goes beyond space tourism. He envisions millions of people living and working in space, with the goal of preserving Earth by moving energy-intensive industries into space and reducing the environmental impact on our planet. Bezos has stated that Blue Origin's long-term goal is to contribute to creating a future where humans have a sustainable presence in space.