Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin space company has broken ground for a new 750,000 square foot orbital vehicle factory in Florida. The Orlando Sentinal reports:
In a notice sent out by Bezos this morning, he said the company hopes to open the facility at the end of next year.
The space will be where the company builds, tests and integrates its rockets.
In the notice, Bezos said everything on the orbital vehicle will be built at the site, except the engine.
Initially, the BE-4 engine will be built at its Kent, Wash., facility.
But he did say the company would select a site for its engine production later this year.
"We're clearing the way for the production of a reusable fleet of orbital vehicles that we will launch and land, again and again," Bezos told Quartz in an email.
Quartz continues,
The new Blue Origin factory will share many of the technical features pioneered at SpaceX's California rocket factory, including large-scale friction stir welding to join together the body of the rocket, and "automated composite processing equipment," or the 3D-printed carbon fiber to make things like the faring or nose cone of the rocket that protects a satellite during launch.
Slated to open its doors in December 2017, the factory would mark Blue Origin's ability to compete directly with ULA and SpaceX in the rocket business, instead of simply being a partner or a critic of the larger enterprises.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 29 2016, @06:26AM
Building in Florida, not hiring American. American workers are lazy, entitled, whiny, and too expensive to employ, so American employment will not be happening.
In other news, Blue Origin will offshore all profits and pay no taxes. So basically just taking up space in Florida, with absolutely no benefit to Floridians whatsoever.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 29 2016, @07:01AM
Are they importing their food using international couriers, teleporting their electricity and water from outside the U.S., flying in cleaners from outside to clean up the office, etc?
There's definitely some positives for the local economy. Sure the big tax evasion maybe a massive deal and so is the low hire rate for the local white collars but its not exactly a complete leeching of the nation as you paint it.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 29 2016, @07:05AM
It's amazing how you accept tax evasion and white collar job elimination as ordinary business as usual.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday June 29 2016, @02:33PM
It's amazing how you accept tax evasion and white collar job elimination as ordinary business as usual.
No, it's amazing how you create this crap and then complain at the consequences. When businesses are punished by the rules for employing people or making a profit, then only the rule breakers prosper.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 29 2016, @01:57PM
So says the whiny American posting to a forum instead of working.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Joe Desertrat on Wednesday June 29 2016, @02:51PM
Building in Florida
If it is like most business building in Florida the landowner is getting a huge property tax break on the land so Governor Rick Scott can claim the supposed future jobs as part of his accomplishments, then at an early point the development will stop, none of the promised jobs will ever materialize, and the land will sit unused until real estate prices rise and it can be sold off to a housing developer at a tidy profit.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday June 29 2016, @05:40PM
Housing developer?
Poor people don't need houses. They need malls and big box stores. You're thinking the wrong kind of property developer.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2) by Joe Desertrat on Thursday June 30 2016, @07:52PM
Housing developers in Florida only build low income housing when forced or bribed as part of a contract. Most of their efforts are geared towards higher profit upscale housing, which they sell off and vanish into "bankruptcy" before the true costs of the development hits the locals.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 29 2016, @06:33AM
The space will be where the company builds, tests and integrates its rockets.
No it won't, apparently they'll be doing it in Florida.
Goddamn words with multiple meanings... Getting my hopes up... For a second there, I had visions of a rocket factory in space... Sigh...
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 29 2016, @06:38AM
Earth barely has one starbase and you're hoping for an orbital shipyard.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 29 2016, @08:00AM
Hah, true. I guess I've been playing too many space 4Xes recently.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 29 2016, @03:03PM
In my case, every time I open up Celestia [shatters.net], Space Station V [celestiamotherlode.net] is right there next to Spacedock [celestiamotherlode.net].