Blue Origin is a US-based company specializing in aerospace manufacturing, defense contracting, and space technology. They produce rocket engines for ULA's Vulcan rocket, as well as their own rockets, spacecraft, and satellites. Blue Origin is a key player in NASA's Artemis program and has received accolades for their rocket booster reusability efforts.
Blue Origin was founded in 2000 in Kent, Washington, focusing on developing rocket propulsion systems and launch vehicles.
In 2003, Rob Meyerson joined Blue Origin and served as the company's long-time president.
The company's first flight test vehicle, Charon, powered by jet engines, was tested on March 5, 2005, to develop autonomous guidance and control technologies.
The next test vehicle, Goddard, first flew on November 13, 2006, with a successful flight.
In late 2007, Amazon released the Kindle, a digital book reader with wireless Internet connectivity.
In 2009, the company was awarded $3.7 million in funding by NASA under the first Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program to develop concepts and technologies for future human spaceflight operations.
On November 8, 2010, it was announced that the company had successfully completed all milestones under its CCDev Space Act Agreement with NASA.
The early suborbital test vehicle, PM2, had its first flight on May 6, 2011, which was a short hop mission.
Design work on the New Glenn heavy-lift launch vehicle, named after NASA astronaut John Glenn, began in early 2012. It is expected to be a reusable launch vehicle with impressive payload capabilities.
In September 2013, the company filed a protest with the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) over NASA's plan to award an exclusive commercial lease to SpaceX for the use of Launch Pad 39A.
In late 2014, Blue Origin signed an agreement with United Launch Alliance (ULA) to develop the BE-4 engine, intended for ULA's upgraded Atlas V and Vulcan Centaur rockets. The BE-4 engine uses liquid oxygen and liquified natural gas (LOX/LNG) and can produce 2,400 kN (550,000 lbf) of thrust.
In September 2015, Blue Origin publicly announced their intentions to develop an orbital launch vehicle. They stated that the first stage would perform a powered vertical landing and be reusable.
In January 2016, Blue Origin announced the New Glenn heavy-lift launch vehicle. The high-level design of the vehicle was released, and it was stated to be many times larger than New Shepard.
In April 2017, it was reported that Jeff Bezos was selling approximately $1 billion in Amazon stock per year to invest in the company.
In 2018, Bezos's net worth was calculated at $112 billion, making him the richest person in the world.
Jeff Bezos announced plans for the Blue Moon crew-carrying lunar lander in May 2019. Blue Moon is designed to transport payloads to the lunar surface and facilitate future manned missions to Mars.
On April 30, 2020, the company and its partners won a $579 million contract to start developing and testing an integrated Human Landing System (HLS) for NASA's Artemis program.
Blue Origin established a new headquarters and R&D facility, called the O'Neill Building on June 6, 2020.
On 20 July 2021, Blue Origin flew their first paying customer, Dutch teenager Oliver Daemen, to the edge of space. The flight also included Jeff Bezos, his younger brother, and aviation legend Wally Funk.
On October 31, 2022, Blue Origin announced the delivery of the first two BE-4 engines to United Launch Alliance (ULA) for integration on a Vulcan rocket. The BE-4 engines were part of the engine development program that began in 2011.
On November 18, 2022, an agreement was announced with the U.S. Space Systems Command for the company's New Glenn rocket to compete for national security launch contracts.
On December 6, 2022, the company announced its second bid via the NASA Sustaining Lunar Development (SLD) competition to fund and develop a second lunar lander for transporting astronauts to and from the lunar surface.
NASA announced on February 9, 2023, that it had chosen the New Glenn heavy-lift launch vehicle for the launch of the ESCAPADE spacecraft. The mission aims to explore Mars's orbit.
NASA contracted Blue Origin on May 19, 2023, to develop and deploy the Blue Moon landing system for the Artemis V mission. The project includes an unmanned test mission and a manned Moon landing in 2029.
On June 7, 2023, two BE-4 rocket engines performed as expected during a Flight Readiness Firing of the Vulcan Rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This successful test marked a milestone in the development of the BE-4 engine for ULA's rockets.
In March 2024, Blue Origin announced in partnership with the United States Space Force that the Blue Ring’s capabilities will be tested soon on a mission called DarkSky-1.