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Blue Origin Moves Into Space Coast Facility

Rendering of Blue Origin's rocket facility at Exploration Park, just south of Kennedy Space Center. Photo: Blue Origin
Rendering of Blue Origin's rocket facility at Exploration Park, just south of Kennedy Space Center. Photo: Blue Origin

Private space company Blue Origin is starting to move into its new home at Exploration Park just south of Kennedy Space Center.

Founder Jeff Bezos announced plans to bring his rocket company to Florida more than two years ago and now the 750,000 square foot facility is one step closer to opening shop.

The manufacturing facility will build the company’s New Glenn rocket, launching from Cape Canaveral only a few miles away. Because of the proximity, the company will use the manufacturing facility as a launch control center.

Blue Origin joins a host of  "new space" companies coming to Brevard County. Space Florida’s Dale Ketcham says it’s an important step in bringing more manufacturing to Florida’s space coast.

“We’ve been successful in starting to bring more components like spaceflight hardware here to Florida to be assembled,” said Ketcham. "This is building the fire and smoke component - the business end of launches. It’s exciting, [Blue Origin] is certainly a powerful, capable organization and a component of new space."

Manufacturing company OneWeb Satellites continues to build it's facility across the street at Exploration Park. The private company plans to manufacture refrigerator-sized communications satellites used for high-speed internet constellations. Some of those satellites will launch on Blue Origin's New Glenn.

The certificate of occupancy is a partial one allowing some office staff to move in. Ketcham says the full certification should coming in the next few weeks.

Enterprise Florida and other economic development agencies provided incentives to bring Blue Origin to Florida.

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Brendan Byrne is WMFE's Assistant News Director, managing the day-to-day operations of the WMFE newsroom, editing daily news stories, and managing WMFE's internship program.

Byrne also hosts WMFE's weekly radio show and podcast "Are We There Yet?" which explores human space exploration.