The U.S. Space Force has awarded Blue Origin a contract valued at $78.25 million to construct a new satellite processing facility on Florida's Space Coast. According to the Space Systems Command announcement, the project aims to expand the nation's capacity for preparing national security and commercial payloads for launch and is scheduled for completion by 2028.
This new facility will address a current limitation in the Department of Defense's ability to process space vehicles at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The expansion is intended to prevent potential launch delays and support an increasing number of missions from multiple launch providers.
Key Takeaways
- Blue Origin received a $78.25 million contract from the U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command.
- The contract is for the construction of a new space vehicle processing facility in Florida, to be completed by 2028.
- The facility will handle both government and commercial satellites, increasing payload processing capacity on the Space Coast.
- This initiative is part of the National Security Space Launch program's effort to partner with commercial industry to meet rising launch demands.
Expanding National Security Space Infrastructure
The U.S. Space Force is taking steps to ensure it can handle a growing manifest of satellite launches. The contract with Blue Origin is a key part of this strategy, designed to alleviate bottlenecks in the pre-launch preparation process. This process includes critical steps like fueling satellites and enclosing them in their protective fairings before they are moved to the launch pad.
Currently, the capacity for these sensitive operations at Cape Canaveral is limited, which can create a logjam as the frequency of both government and commercial launches increases. The new facility will provide an alternative, state-of-the-art location for these tasks.
"This additional capacity will ensure USSF is able to continue to deliver responsive and resilient launch capabilities to the warfighter, and the public-private partnership behind the new capacity enables us to cost-share with commercial industry to our mutual benefit," stated Space Force Col. Dan Highlander, director of operations integration for SSC’s Assured Access to Space directorate.
The facility will be available for use by multiple launch companies, not just Blue Origin, supporting the broader national security space enterprise.
A Strategic Partnership with Commercial Industry
This award is the second under the National Security Space Launch program's Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO), an initiative designed to leverage private sector capabilities to meet government needs. The first award, also for $78.25 million, was granted to Astrotech Space Operations earlier this year to expand its facilities at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for West Coast launches.
Project Details
- Contract Value: $78.25 million
- Recipient: Blue Origin
- Purpose: Build a new satellite processing facility
- Location: Florida's Space Coast
- Completion Deadline: 2028
Astrotech already operates a major payload processing site in Titusville, Florida, which serves as the primary provider for many missions launching from the Space Coast. The new Blue Origin facility will augment this existing infrastructure, creating redundancy and increasing overall throughput.
Blue Origin's Growing Florida Footprint
Jeff Bezos' space company has already made substantial investments in Florida. Blue Origin has spent approximately $3 billion on its facilities, including its extensive manufacturing and operations campus in Exploration Park on Merritt Island and the refurbishment of Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The Exploration Park site is a sprawling campus with more than 3 million square feet of building space. The company recently added 200,000 square feet with the opening of its Lunar Plant 1, where it will build the Blue Moon Mark 2 lunar landers for NASA's Artemis program.
Blue Origin's Role in National Security Launch
While Blue Origin was not selected for the Space Force’s most recent phase of national security launch contracts, which were awarded to SpaceX and United Launch Alliance, its New Glenn rocket has been certified to compete for future missions starting in 2025. The heavy-lift rocket completed its first flight in January and is scheduled for a second launch later this year, carrying a NASA mission to Mars.
The company has not yet specified whether the new satellite processing facility will be built at its Exploration Park campus or at another location on the Space Coast. In a statement, Blue Origin expressed its commitment to the project.
"We are proud to work with the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command to construct a new payload processing facility supporting multiple launch vehicle providers on Florida’s Space Coast," the company stated. "This partnership will enhance Blue Origin’s capabilities to operate more efficiently and expand our capacity to support a higher launch cadence to meet customer needs.”
Meeting Future Launch Demands
The investment in new processing facilities reflects the government's anticipation of a significant rise in launch activity from Florida in the coming years. By partnering with commercial companies like Blue Origin and Astrotech, the Space Force aims to build a more robust and flexible launch infrastructure.
According to Col. Highlander, this approach is vital for maintaining a competitive edge and ensuring reliable access to space for critical national security assets.
The dual-use nature of the planned facility—serving both government and commercial clients—is central to the program's cost-sharing model. This public-private partnership is expected to provide the necessary infrastructure to support the U.S. space industry's continued growth while ensuring the military's launch requirements are met without delay.