Blue Origin announces $600M Florida expansion, FAA clears New Glenn for launch
Blue Origin announced a $600 million expansion of its Florida Rocket Park facility, labeled Project Horizon, to support New Glenn rocket production and create 500 high-paying jobs. The FAA cleared Blue Origin for New Glenn launches following a recent upper-stage failure during an April 19 test flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, where the rocket’s booster successfully landed but the AST SpaceMobile satellite was lost due to deployment issues.
Blue Origin will invest $600 million in Florida’s Rocket Park to expand its manufacturing complex under Project Horizon. The initiative includes an 830,000-square-foot facility for New Glenn rocket upper stages, creating 500 jobs with average salaries exceeding $98,000. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis praised the move, calling it proof of the state’s pro-business environment, while Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp highlighted the company’s decade-long commitment, including $2.3 billion in investments across Florida suppliers. The expansion, located on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center property in Merritt Island, requires permitting for a 60-acre stormwater system. Space Florida is listed as a co-applicant, and construction follows earlier filings with the St. Johns Water Management District. Blue Origin is the only company manufacturing and launching rockets from Florida, with New Glenn rockets built at Rocket Park and launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Complex 36. On April 19, Blue Origin attempted its third New Glenn launch, where the 188-foot booster successfully landed on the drone ship *Jacklyn* after liftoff. However, the upper stage failed to deploy AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite into orbit, resulting in its loss. The FAA subsequently cleared Blue Origin for further launches despite the mishap, emphasizing the company’s progress in rocket recovery and orbital deployment. The project underscores Florida’s growing role in aerospace, reinforcing its position as a national leader in advanced manufacturing. Blue Origin’s expansion aligns with broader industry growth following NASA’s 2011 Space Shuttle shutdown, with the company now operating 11 sites across Brevard and Orange Counties. State officials emphasize the economic impact, citing Blue Origin’s $2.3 billion in supplier investments since 2015.
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