Blue Origin eyes 50 annual New Glenn launches in $330M Cape Canaveral expansion

Blue Origin (BORGN) is seeking FAA approval to increase its New Glenn rocket launches at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to 50 annually from the currently authorized 12, as it invests billions of dollars in infrastructure to compete with SpaceX’s (SPCX) launch dominance.

The $330M expansion is expected to be completed in summer 2027. The company looks to add additional launch pads on the Space Coast to join at LC-36 and add two more landing platforms for sea-based landing.

Blue Origin has invested over $3B to date in its sprawling Florida production and ⁠rocket integration facilities that span roughly 31 acres with some 5,000 employees, Ian Richardson, senior vice president of ​operations, said in a company blog post.

"As we look ahead, this infrastructure is designed ​to support multiple flights per week by the end of the decade."

The company is investing in automated machining, welding, material handling, and inspection tools that make production more consistent and repeatable.

The New Glenn launch vehicle is a two-stage orbital rocket (with an optional third stage) with a reusable first stage that can land on an platform at sea in the Atlantic Ocean. Blue Origin is proposing to increase its New Glenn launch operational cadence.

Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos' space firm, is one of the main launch providers for Amazon's (AMZN) budding satellite internet constellation, Leo, which will rival SpaceX's Starlink.

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