Governor Rick Scott announced Blue Origin has selected Florida as the site for the launch, manufacturing and support facilities for its Orbital Launch Vehicle (OLV) program. The project will create 330 new jobs and a capital investment of $200 million in the region over the next five years.
Governor Rick Scott said, “I am proud to announce that Blue Origin has selected Florida for this exciting new venture which will create 330 new jobs in Brevard County. Enterprise Florida was instrumental in bringing Blue Origin here, and we must keep working to fully fund Enterprise Florida so we can create more great jobs for Florida families.”
Blue Origin was established by Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com, with the mission of developing vehicles and technologies to enable commercial human space transportation. The company has a long-term vision of greatly increasing the number of people that fly into space. Along with human spaceflight, Blue Origin’s vehicles will provide streamlined launch opportunities for satellites and research payloads.
House Speaker Steve Crisafulli said, “I’m excited to join Governor Scott as we make another great announcement for Space Coast families. Blue Origin continues to solidify Florida’s position as the top destination for aerospace and aviation and will create hundreds of new jobs in our community. I look forward to working with Enterprise Florida and local partners so more companies like Blue Origin will choose Florida as the best place to do business.”
Jeff Bezos, founder of Blue Origin, said, “Cape Canaveral has long been a gateway to humankind’s greatest adventures. Our new home – Complex 36 – has seen 43 years of service and 145 launches, including the Mariner missions, Pioneer 10 and Surveyor 1 – the first U.S. spacecraft to land softly on the moon. This historic pad hasn’t seen a rocket launch in more than 10 years – too long – we can’t wait to fix that.”
Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Jesse Panuccio said, “Historically, Florida has been the site of many of the most important moments in space innovation and exploration. The nature of the space industry is changing, with more private-sector engagement, but Florida can continue to be a leader in this field if we make the right investments. Blue Origin’s selection of Florida will help us secure Florida’s future as a national leader in the space industry. This is great news for the state and for Cape Canaveral.”
Blue has selected Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to serve as its launch site. In addition, Blue Origin will be assembling its new launch vehicle nearby, helping to make Florida a major manufacturing center for high-tech space-bound hardware as well as being the nation’s premier gateway to space.
Space has long been part of Florida’s history and identity. As a result, the state boasts a highly-skilled talent pool and knowledge base benefiting businesses across the industry. The state ranks No. 1 for aerospace manufacturing attractiveness and is home to more than 470 industry leading companies.
Bill Johnson, Enterprise Florida president and CEO said, “For decades, Florida has led the world in space flight and we are now at the forefront of commercial space travel. The state provides the ideal business climate for innovative companies like Blue Origin to come to Florida and succeed, and we look forward to watching them push this industry to places it has yet to go.”
This project was made possible by close partnerships between Enterprise Florida, Space Florida, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, CareerSource Florida, North Brevard Economic Development Zone, Brevard County, Space Coast EDC, and Florida Power & Light.
“This announcement is the result of a marriage of visions,” said Space Florida President and CEO Frank DiBello. “It is Florida’s vision to be the world’s greatest spaceport and Blue Origin’s vision to push the boundaries of space travel. Nothing is more exciting than the arrival of an historic business venture that brings with it prosperity and the promise of exploring the stars.”
“This represents a significant turning point for Brevard, and for Florida.” said Brevard County Commissioner Robin Fisher.
About Blue Origin
Blue Origin, LLC (Blue Origin) is a private company developing vehicles and technologies to enable commercial human space transportation. Blue Origin has a long-term vision of greatly increasing the number of people that fly into space so that we humans can better continue exploring the solar system. For more information and a list of job openings, please visit us at www.blueorigin.com.
Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) is a partnership between Florida’s businesses and government leaders and is the principal economic development organization for the Florida. EFI facilitates job growth for Florida businesses through recruitment and retention, international trade and exporting, promotion of sporting events, and capital funding programs to assist small and minority businesses.