Blue Origin Expands Support in Florida for Space Missions
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Blue Origin is expanding its operations on the Space Coast by breaking ground on a new payload processing facility in collaboration with the U.S. Space Force.
This facility will support an 8.7-meter rocket fairing, a protective cone on spacecraft that shields satellites. Phil Metzger, a UCF planetary scientist and director of the Stephen W. Hawking Center for Microgravity Research, noted that this development comes after the explosion of their New Glenn rocket during a static test fire in May. He emphasized the company’s potential, stating, “They have a fair chance, a good chance of being the first lunar lander company back on the moon, beating SpaceX potentially.”
Don Platt, the director of spaceport education at the Florida Institute of Technology, expressed optimism about the New Glenn rocket’s imminent relaunch, predicting upcoming activity: “I think all indications are that they are working around the clock.”
The new facility is designed to support up to 16 missions a year, with plans to open in early 2028.
