{"id":19063,"date":"2017-02-22T21:40:39","date_gmt":"2017-02-22T13:40:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-space-venture-has-plans-for-big-expansion-of-seattle-area-hq\/"},"modified":"2017-02-22T21:40:39","modified_gmt":"2017-02-22T13:40:39","slug":"jeff-bezos-blue-origin-space-venture-has-plans-for-big-expansion-of-seattle-area-hq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-space-venture-has-plans-for-big-expansion-of-seattle-area-hq\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin space venture has plans for big expansion of Seattle-area HQ"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_235531\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-235531\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-235531\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/BlueOrigin_008-630x473.jpg\" alt=\"New Shepard assembly area\" width=\"630\" height=\"473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/BlueOrigin_008-630x473.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/BlueOrigin_008-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/BlueOrigin_008.jpg 1125w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-235531\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hardware is spread across the New Shepard assembly area. (Credit: Blue Origin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Blue Origin, the space venture founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, has out-of-this-world ambitions \u2013 with&nbsp;expansion plans to match.<\/p>\n<p>Permit&nbsp;filings&nbsp;at the city of Kent, Wash., reveal&nbsp;plans&nbsp;for a 236,000-square-foot warehouse complex and 102,900 square feet of office space, southwest of Blue Origin\u2019s current 300,000-square-foot headquarters and rocket production facility in an industrial area of the city.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, Blue Origin purchased a 120,000-square-foot warehouse building across the street from its headquarters to support the production&nbsp;of the company\u2019s BE-3 and BE-4 rocket engines, as well as its New Shepard suborbital boosters and crew capsules.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we go to the next step with our next rocket, we\u2019re going to use that building as a bigger facility for production,\u201d the Puget Sound Business Journal quoted Blue Origin\u2019s president, Rob Meyerson, as saying.<\/p>\n<p>Blue Origin didn\u2019t respond to GeekWire\u2019s inquiries about the existing warehouse building, or the bigger project that\u2019s under consideration. But a planner for the city of Kent, Jason Garnham, confirmed that the future project is still in the works.<\/p>\n<style>.fotorama1782803430273 .fotorama__nav--thumbs .fotorama__nav__frame{\npadding:2px;\nheight:64px}\n.fotorama1782803430273 .fotorama__thumb-border{\nheight:60px;\nborder-width:2px;\nmargin-top:2px}<\/style>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/160308-bezos-1240x999.jpg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 496.496px; height: 400px; left: 151.752px; top: 0px;\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tBillionaire Jeff Bezos strikes a pose beside the copper nozzle for a BE-4 rocket engine during a tour of Blue Origin\u2019s production facility in Kent, Wash. (GeekWire Photo \/ Alan Boyle)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/blue1.jpg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 533.175px; height: 400px; left: 133.412px; top: 0px;\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tEngineers examine the BE-4 rocket engine\u2019s main combustion chamber. (Credit: Blue Origin)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/DSC00360-1240x880.jpg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 563.636px; height: 400px; left: 118.182px; top: 0px;\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tBlue Origin\u2019s headquarters is in an industrial area of Kent. (GeekWire photo by Alan Boyle)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/160308-bezos-1240x999.jpg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 79.4394px; height: 64px; left: -0.21972px; top: 0px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/DSC00360-1240x880.jpg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 90.1818px; height: 64px; left: -0.0909091px; top: 0px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/blue9.jpg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 85.3081px; height: 64px; left: -0.154028px; top: 0px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/blue3.jpg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 80px; height: 64px; left: 0px; top: 0px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/blue5.jpg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 85.3081px; height: 64px; left: -0.154028px; top: 0px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/blue10.jpg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 85.3081px; height: 64px; left: -0.154028px; top: 0px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/blue7.jpg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 85.3081px; height: 64px; left: -0.154028px; top: 0px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/blue1.jpg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 85.3081px; height: 64px; left: -0.154028px; top: 0px;\"><\/p>\n<p>In an email, Garnham told GeekWire that the construction permit applications are \u201ccurrently on hold, pending our request for more information regarding environmental conditions of the site.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMeanwhile, the project is also under review by other jurisdictions such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Washington State Department of Ecology, and the applicant is awaiting review and approval by those agencies before proceeding,\u201d Garnham said.<\/p>\n<p>The reviews could take another two to four months, he said.<\/p>\n<p>The project is listed in city records as \u201cAvenue 55 Blue Origin.\u201d Avenue 55, a Seattle-based development management company, did not respond to GeekWire\u2019s requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Blue Origin\u2019s workforce is growing along with its expansion plans. Last March, the company said it had 600 employees, but the number has since risen closer to 1,000. More than 100 job openings are listed on its website. Virtually all of those jobs are in Kent, 16 miles south of Seattle, with a smattering of additional openings at Blue Origin\u2019s West Texas suborbital launch site and at its Florida office.<\/p>\n<p>A 750,000-square-foot factory is currently under construction near NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and it\u2019s due to be ready to manufacture Blue Origin\u2019s New Glenn orbital rockets by the end of 2017.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=833014535523033089&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2017%2Fjeff-bezos-blue-origin-hq%2F&amp;sessionId=a456f932b8d65f74e2a2905aa76576b7b694a940&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"833014535523033089\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782803430253643027=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Swung by the @blueorigin factory under construction just outside the KSC gates. It\u2019s taking shape, and it\u2019s big. pic.twitter.com\/ZT3F5TswsY<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jeff Foust (@jeff_foust) February 18, 2017<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The end of this year is&nbsp;just about the time that Blue Origin hopes to start putting test astronauts on New Shepard\u2019s suborbital spaceflights in West Texas. The New Shepard capsule, which has been tested six times over the course of the past two years, is capable of carrying up to six people to altitudes beyond 62 miles. The ride provides several minutes of weightlessness and an astronaut\u2019s-eye view of Earth.<\/p>\n<p>During a recent interview&nbsp;published by the Welland Tribune in Ontario, newly hired Blue Origin engineer Ben Laurence said the company\u2019s testing plan calls for three crew members to pilot the spacecraft. \u201cThe other three spots are being filled through a lottery within the company,\u201d Laurence said.<\/p>\n<p>Laurence said he\u2019d love to go. And Bezos has said paying passengers could be flying as early as 2018, although&nbsp;the ticket price hasn\u2019t yet been set and reservations aren\u2019t yet being taken.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"New Shepard In-flight Escape Test\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ESc_0MgmqOA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The New Shepard is powered by Blue Origin\u2019s hydrogen-fueled BE-3 rocket engine, but the New Glenn will make use of the BE-4, a more powerful engine that burns liquefied natural gas.<\/p>\n<p>The BE-4 is also&nbsp;the current favorite for use on&nbsp;United Launch Alliance\u2019s next-generation Vulcan rocket. However, Blue Origin is facing competition on that score from Aerojet Rocketdyne\u2019s AR-1 engine. ULA is waiting to get the results from the first full-scale BE-4 engine firing before making its choice.<\/p>\n<p>That all-up static fire test is expected to take place sometime in the next few&nbsp;months. If the tests go the way Bezos hopes, Blue Origin aims to ramp up BE-4 operations to reach full production by 2019, either in Kent or someplace else \u2013 like Florida, for instance.<\/p>\n<p>In&nbsp;Florida, state and local officials have already set aside at least $18&nbsp;million in incentives for Blue Origin\u2019s orbital operations, and are talking about allocating $17 million more.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the Washington Legislature is considering a bill that would provide tax credits for Blue Origin and other companies engaged in advanced space manufacturing, as well as biotech and environmental ventures.<\/p>\n<p>For what it\u2019s worth, an analysis from the Washington Department of Revenue suggests that the credits could have a fiscal impact of $30 million over the next two years. Not all of the credits would go to Blue Origin, of course.<\/p>\n<p>How many of Blue Origin\u2019s big plans will turn into reality? Where and when&nbsp;will&nbsp;that happen? Figuring out the economic and policy calculations that will drive Jeff Bezos\u2019 decisions over the next year could get as complicated as, well, rocket science.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hardware is spread across the New Shepard assembly area. (Credit: Blue Origin) Blue Origin, the space venture founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, has out-of-this-world ambitions \u2013 with&nbsp;expansion plans to match. Permit&nbsp;filings&nbsp;at the city of Kent, Wash., reveal&nbsp;plans&nbsp;for a 236,000-square-foot warehouse complex and 102,900 square feet of office space, southwest of Blue Origin\u2019s current 300,000-square-foot [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4459,509,291,1046,1250],"class_list":["post-19063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-be-4-rocket-engine","tag-blue-origin","tag-commercial-space","tag-jeff-bezos","tag-new-shepard"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19063"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19063\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}