Blue Origin details $330m Florida rocket-stage factory expansion

(SpaceEnergy) US rocket manufacturer Blue Origin has disclosed a $330m expansion of its Florida manufacturing facilities to support production of up to 150 New Glenn upper stages annually.

The company said on 16 October that construction is under way at Rocket Park, its 1.37-million-square-foot manufacturing campus near NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

The expansion will support production of the New Glenn 9x4 upper stage, which is designed to use four BE-3U rocket engines. Blue Origin expects the facility to be completed in summer 2027.

The company plans to introduce automated machining, welding, material handling and inspection systems to increase manufacturing consistency and production capacity.

Blue Origin also outlined additional infrastructure investments, including a vertical integration facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and facilities for inspecting and refurbishing recovered rocket boosters.

Its Florida operations currently span more than 20 sites across Brevard and Orange counties, employing more than 5,000 people and involving approximately 500 suppliers.

Blue Origin said it has invested more than $3bn in Florida facilities and infrastructure to date.

The company aims to establish the capacity for multiple New Glenn launches per week by the end of the decade. That remains a target rather than an achieved launch rate.

The $330m expansion and its projected upper-stage manufacturing capacity are distinct from Blue Origin's previously reported Constellation Park satellite manufacturing investment in Hutto, Texas.