🚀 Blue Origin – Advancing Human Spaceflight
Blue Origin is an American aerospace manufacturer and spaceflight services company founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos. Headquartered in Kent, Washington, the company aims to enable a future where millions of people can live and work in space to benefit Earth. Blue Origin develops reusable launch vehicles and in-space systems to reduce the cost of access to space.
🛰️ Key Projects and Milestones
- New Shepard: A suborbital rocket designed for space tourism and research missions. It has completed multiple crewed flights, including the first with Jeff Bezos in 2021.
- New Glenn: A heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle that achieved its first successful launch in January 2025, deploying the Blue Ring Pathfinder test satellite.
- Blue Moon: A lunar lander developed for NASA’s Artemis program, with a crewed landing planned for 2029.
- Orbital Reef: A proposed commercial space station in partnership with Sierra Space, Boeing, and others, intended to serve as a mixed-use business park in low Earth orbit.
- Blue Ring: An orbital transfer vehicle designed to provide in-space logistics and delivery services.
🌐 Global Presence and Facilities
Blue Origin operates facilities across the United States, including its headquarters in Kent, Washington; launch sites in West Texas and Cape Canaveral, Florida; and manufacturing and test facilities in Huntsville, Alabama, and other locations. The company employs over 11,000 people as of 2023.
🌐 Learn More
Blue Origin Enterprises, L.P. is an American space technology company headquartered in Kent, Washington. The company operates the suborbital New Shepard rocket and the heavy-lift New Glenn rocket. In addition to producing engines for its own rockets, Blue Origin supplies engines for other vehicles, including United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur. It is also working on the Blue Moon human lunar lander for NASA's Artemis program, the Blue Ring spacecraft platform, and the Orbital Reef space station in partnership with other organizations.
Company type | Private |
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Industry | Space |
Founded | September 8, 2000 |
Founder | Jeff Bezos |
Headquarters | , United States |
Number of locations | 11 (4 production facilities & 7 field offices) |
Area served | United States of America |
Key people | Dave Limp (CEO) |
Products | New Shepard New Glenn Blue Moon Blue Ring Orbital Reef |
Owner | Jeff Bezos |
Number of employees | 11,000 (2023) |
Subsidiaries | Honeybee Robotics |
ASN | 55244 |
Website | blueorigin.com |
Founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin initially operated with a very low profile, funded by Bezos's private investments. In 2015, the company achieved a significant milestone with the first uncrewed launch and landing of the New Shepard and announced plans for New Glenn. In 2021, New Shepard completed its first crewed mission with Bezos himself on board, crossing the Kármán line, the conventional definition of the edge of space, 100 kilometers (62 mi) above sea level. Another key achievement came in January 2023 when the company delivered its first BE-4 rocket engine to United Launch Alliance. Despite these milestones, Blue Origin has faced criticism for its perceived slow progress, particularly when compared to SpaceX. Addressing these challenges, the company underwent a leadership change in September 2023, appointing Dave Limp as CEO to succeed Bob Smith.
On January 16, 2025, Blue Origin reached orbit with the first launch of the New Glenn vehicle. On April 14, 2025, Blue Origin completed its 11th human spaceflight and its 31st spaceflight for the New Shepard Program with an all-female crew of six.