In a statement on the company's blog, Blue Origins founder and CEO Jeff Bezos announced today that Cape Canaveral has been selected as the launch site for its orbital launch vehicle.
According to Bezos, the first Blue Origin orbital mission will lift off from Launch Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The pad is currently idle after its last space mission in 2005, but was previously the launching point for the Mariner missions, Pioneer 10, Surveyor 1, and numerous other civilian and military missions.
In addition, Blue Origin will move into facilities at Exploration Park at the Kennedy Space Center, where the company's BE-4 engine will undergo acceptance testing before being installed in the first United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket. The facility will also be used for manufacturing the reusable Blue Origin boosters as a way of simplifying the logistics for the Kent, Washington-based company.
Blue Origin carried out its first rocket launch earlier this year outside Van Horn, West Texas. The company aims to eventually fly rockets capable of carrying a manned capsule into space before returning to Earth for a booster landing and refurbishment.
Source: Blue Origin
