Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Bezos' Blue Origin Rockets to Have More Girth Than Musk's SpaceX

From the Los Angeles Times:

Jeff Bezos to launch 'really big' rockets at Cape Canaveral, compete with SpaceX
Amazon.com Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said Tuesday that his private aerospace company will build and launch rockets near Cape Canaveral Air Force Base, competing against rival projects from billionaires Elon Musk and Richard Branson. 
Bezos said Blue Origin's new home will be at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral and that it will manufacture reusable orbital launchers near Kennedy Space Center. Keeping vehicle assembly close to the launch pad will make transportation of the "really big rockets" easier, Bezos said. 
The fleet of rockets will be ready to launch later this decade, Bezos said.
"As a kid, I was inspired by the giant Saturn 5 missions that roared to life from these very shores," Bezos said. 
The company's BE-4 engine, which is being developed through a partnership between Blue Origin and the Boeing Co.-Lockheed Martin Corp. joint venture United Launch Alliance, will also be tested in Florida. 
The BE-4 engine will power the first flight of San Diego-based United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket, Bezos said....MORE
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Here's Bezos again: