Blue Origin | Corn Ranch Texas | Kennedy Space Center

New Shepard Rocket and New Glenn Rocket

Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos in 2000, is an American aerospace manufacturer focused on reusable rocket technology to reduce space travel costs. Notable projects include the New Shepard rocket for suborbital tourism and the New Glenn heavy-lift launch vehicle for orbital missions. The Blue Moon lunar lander for NASA's Artemis program and the Blue Ring commercial space station are also in development.

The company's motto, "Gradatim Ferociter" (Latin for "Step by Step, Ferociously"), reflects its commitment to advancing space exploration safely and incrementally. Blue Origin's vision is to enable millions to live and work in space for Earth's benefit, reflecting its commitment to incremental and safe advancements in space exploration.

Corn Ranch, Texas New Shepard Launch Pad

Purpose: Suborbital tourism with seats available for purchase for furture flights.

Corn Ranch, Texas New Shepard Launch Pad: Located near Van Horn, Texas, this site has a history of successful launches, including the 24th New Shepard flight and 13th payload mission.

Accommodations: The nearest hotels are in Van Horn, Texas.

Facility: The Corn Ranch site, about 20 miles north of Van Horn, is owned by Jeff Bezos and has been operational since 2006, employing around 50 people. The launch pad is designed for the New Shepard suborbital spacecraft.

New Shepard Space Ride: Named after astronaut Alan Shepard, it launched its first civilian space ride in summer 2021. The spacecraft takes off vertically and lands back at the launch site, offering a few seconds of weightlessness.

 Van Horn, TX Hotels Reservations.

Blue Origin Florida Operations

Blue Origin Florida

Kennedy Space Center: Blue Origin is ramping up operations here, and has launched the first New Glenn rocket with plans for a second launch in late Spring 2025.

New Glenn Rocket:

A reusable rocket designed for various missions, its first stage is intended to be reused up to 25 times, powered by seven BE-4 engines.

Blue Ring:

This is Blue Origin's in-space logistics platform, designed to provide services like hosting, transportation, refueling, and data relay for satellites and other payloads in orbit.

Manufacturing Facility:

Located on Merritt Island, FL adjacent to the Kennedy Space Center.

Launch Complex 36:

Located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, this site has been transformed into a state-of-the-art launch site for the New Glenn rocket, with over $1 billion invested.

Blue Moon Lunar Lander:

Selected by NASA for the Artemis program, it will support both lunar lander and rover missions.

Hotels Near Blue Origin Florida.