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Aerospace company Blue Origin late last month inaugurated an Alabama facility that will produce engines to power its rockets.
The company reportedly plans to begin moving workers into the Huntsville engine factory and aims to start production of rocket engines this summer. The private spaceflight company, established by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, first announced plans for the plant in 2017 and broke ground just more than a year ago.
Company officials expect the building to house 300 workers and inject some $200 million into the local economy. Once the factory is operating at full capacity — likely in 2022 or 2023 — it will be able to produce 42 engines annually.
“You can see we can get some things done really quickly,” Bob Smith, the company’s CEO, told AL.com. “Twelve months to actually build this kind of facility is an amazing accomplishment for our team.”
The plant will initially produce the BE-4 engine, which will power the company’s own New Glenn orbital launch vehicle as well as the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket, which will be used for national security launches. The factory will subsequently add the BE-3U, a version of the engine in its New Shepard suborbital rocket.
Blue Origin last month also officially opened its new headquarters in Kent, Washington.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Blue Origin.
