CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, — Blue Origin, the space company founded by Jeff Bezos, has announced a $330 million expansion of its Florida manufacturing and launch infrastructure to increase production and launch capacity for its New Glenn heavy-lift rocket. The company aims to support multiple flights per week by the end of the decade and more than 100 launches annually in the longer term.
New Manufacturing Facility to Produce 150 Upper Stages Annually
Blue Origin is expanding its Rocket Park manufacturing campus near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center with a planned 1.37-million-square-foot facility. Scheduled for completion in summer 2027, the facility will use automated machining and welding to produce up to 150 upper stages annually for the New Glenn 9x4 configuration.
The 9x4 version will feature nine BE-4 engines on its first stage and four BE-3U engines on its upper stage, compared with seven and two engines, respectively, on the current 7x2 configuration.
Two Additional Launch Pads Planned
The company plans to build two additional launch pads at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, joining two already under development at Launch Complex 36 (LC-36).
LC-36A is being restored following damage in May 2026, while LC-36B is under construction to support the larger New Glenn 9x4 rocket.
Blue Origin has also filed an environmental assessment seeking Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to increase the permitted launch rate at LC-36 from 12 to 50 launches annually. A public comment period is underway.
More Recovery Ships and Payload Processing Capacity
Blue Origin is procuring two additional sea-based recovery ships to support the reusable first-stage boosters. The vessels will join its existing recovery ship, Jacklyn, based at Port Canaveral. The company is also developing a vertical integration facility near LC-36 to process recovered boosters.
In partnership with the U.S. Space Force, Blue Origin is building a four-bay customer integration facility at Cape Canaveral. It will include two payload encapsulation bays and a multi-manifest processing area, allowing crews to prepare multiple government and commercial payloads simultaneously for both New Glenn configurations.
Florida Operations Employ More Than 5,000 People
The $330 million expansion adds to approximately $3 billion Blue Origin has already invested in Florida. Its operations span more than 20 sites across Brevard and Orange counties, employ over 5,000 people and involve approximately 500 suppliers in the state. The company's manufacturing and operations footprint has more than doubled in recent years.
Ian Richardson, Blue Origin’s senior vice president of operations, said the investment is focused on increasing mission capacity, reliability and efficiency. The infrastructure is designed to support multiple flights per week by the end of the decade.
New Glenn Remains Grounded After May Incident
New Glenn remains grounded following an anomaly during a static-fire test at LC-36A on May 28, 2026. The incident destroyed a fully stacked rocket and damaged the launch complex, including its lightning tower and transporter-erector.
Blue Origin is rebuilding the site using a horizontal and vertical hybrid concept of operations planned for the 9x4 configuration. Rocket production continues as the company works toward returning New Glenn to flight.
The expansion is intended to strengthen Blue Origin’s capacity to serve commercial and U.S. national security launch markets while supporting its longer-term goal of increasing New Glenn’s launch frequency.
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