Editing Blue Origin (section)

== History ==
The company was founded in 2000 by [[Jeff Bezos]], the founder of [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Staff Reporter |date=January 24, 2019 |title=Kent's Blue Origin racks up another successful New Shepard launch into space |url=https://www.kentreporter.com/business/kents-blue-origin-racks-up-another-successful-new-shepard-launch-into-space/ |access-date=October 3, 2020 |website=Kent Reporter |language=en-US |archive-date=February 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214003933/https://www.kentreporter.com/business/kents-blue-origin-racks-up-another-successful-new-shepard-launch-into-space/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Berger |first=Eric |date=April 2, 2016 |title=Why Blue Origin's latest launch is a huge deal for cheap space access |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2016/04/why-blue-origins-latest-launch-is-a-huge-deal-for-cheap-space-access/ |access-date=October 3, 2020 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-us |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108090243/https://arstechnica.com/science/2016/04/why-blue-origins-latest-launch-is-a-huge-deal-for-cheap-space-access/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Rob Meyerson]] joined the company in 2003 and served as the CEO before leaving the company in 2018.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Boyle |first=Alan |date=November 8, 2018 |title=Former Blue Origin president Rob Meyerson leaves Jeff Bezos' space venture |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2018/veteran-aerospace-engineer-rob-meyerson-leaves-jeff-bezos-blue-origin-space-venture/ |access-date=March 16, 2023 |website=GeekWire |language=en-US |archive-date=March 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301162826/https://www.geekwire.com/2018/veteran-aerospace-engineer-rob-meyerson-leaves-jeff-bezos-blue-origin-space-venture/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Bob Smith served as CEO from 2018 to 2023.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/09/bob-smith-is-finally-gone-from-blue-origin-his-replacement-comes-from-amazon/ | title=Jeff Bezos finally got rid of Bob Smith at Blue Origin | date=September 25, 2023 | access-date=December 18, 2023 | archive-date=December 18, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218041208/https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/09/bob-smith-is-finally-gone-from-blue-origin-his-replacement-comes-from-amazon/ | url-status=live }}</ref> The current CEO is Dave Limp.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.geekwire.com/2023/departing-amazon-exec-dave-limp-will-take-over-from-blue-origin-ceo-bob-smith/|title=Departing Amazon exec Dave Limp to become Blue Origin CEO|date=September 25, 2023|access-date=December 18, 2023|archive-date=December 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218041205/https://www.geekwire.com/2023/departing-amazon-exec-dave-limp-will-take-over-from-blue-origin-ceo-bob-smith/|url-status=live}}</ref> Little is known about the company's activities in its early years. In 2006, the company purchased land for its [[New Shepard]] missions 30 miles north of [[Van Horn, Texas]], United States called [[Corn Ranch|Launch Site One (LS1).]] In November 2006, the first test vehicle was launched, the Goddard rocket, which reached an altitude of 285 feet.<ref>{{Cite web |last=NSE |date=March 3, 2023 |title=The History of Blue Origin |url=https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2023/03/03/blue-origin-a-short-history/ |access-date=May 21, 2023 |website=New Space Economy |language=en-US |archive-date=May 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521105000/https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2023/03/03/blue-origin-a-short-history/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

After initiating the development of an orbital rocket system prior to 2012, and stating in 2013 on their website that the first stage would perform a powered vertical landing and be reusable, the company publicly announced their orbital [[launch vehicle]] intentions in September 2015. In January 2016, the company indicated that the new rocket would be many times larger than [[New Shepard]]. The company publicly released the high-level design of the vehicle and announced its name in September 2016 as "[[New Glenn]]". The [[New Glenn]] [[heavy-lift launch vehicle]] can be configured in both [[Two-stage-to-orbit|two-stage]] and [[Three-stage-to-orbit|three-stage]] variants. [[New Glenn]] first successfully launched in January, 2025.<ref name=":7" />

On July 20, 2021, [[New Shepard]] performed its [[Blue Origin NS-16|first crewed mission]] to sub-orbital space called [[Blue Origin NS-16]]. The flight lasted approximately 10 minutes and crossed the [[Kármán line]]. The passengers were [[Jeff Bezos]], his brother [[Mark Bezos]], [[Wally Funk]], and [[Oliver Daemen]], after the unnamed auction winner (later revealed to have been [[Justin Sun]]) dropped out due to a scheduling conflict. Subsequent New Shepard passenger and cargo missions were: [[Blue Origin NS-17]], [[Blue Origin NS-18]], [[Blue Origin NS-19]], [[Blue Origin NS-20]], [[Blue Origin NS-20|Blue Origin NS-21]] and [[Blue Origin NS-23]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=New Shepard Flight History |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sat/new-shepard_history.htm |access-date=July 14, 2023 |website=space.skyrocket.de |archive-date=May 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529231410/https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sat/new-shepard_history.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The company primarily employs an incremental approach from [[Sub-orbital spaceflight|sub-orbital]] to [[orbital flight]],<ref name="A-N1">{{cite news |date=June 3, 2022 |title=Blue Origin NS-21 Mission Nears Launch |publisher=Aero-News Network |url=http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=853c2364-ee99-4c67-86ef-d9d219416fdf |url-status=live |access-date=December 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221216054831/http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=853c2364-ee99-4c67-86ef-d9d219416fdf |archive-date=December 16, 2022}}</ref> with each developmental step building on its prior work. The company moved into the [[orbital spaceflight]] technology [[new product development|development]] business in 2014, initially as a [[rocket engine]] supplier via a contractual agreement to build the [[BE-4]] rocket engine, for major US launch system operator [[United Launch Alliance]] (ULA). [[United Launch Alliance]] (ULA) has said that the first flight of its [[Vulcan Centaur]] [[heavy-lift launch vehicle]] is scheduled to launch in Q4 of 2023. The [[heavy-lift launch vehicle]]s main power is supported by two [[BE-4]] engines. On June 7, 2023, [[United Launch Alliance]] (ULA) performed a Flight Readiness Firing of the [[Vulcan Centaur]] [[rocket]] at launch pad 41 at the [[Cape Canaveral Space Force Station]] in [[Cape Canaveral]], Florida, United States. The two [[BE-4]] [[rocket engine]]s worked as expected.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ULA test-fires first Vulcan rocket at Cape Canaveral – Spaceflight Now |url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/06/07/vulcan-centaur-frf-coverage/ |access-date=November 1, 2023 |language=en-US |archive-date=July 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703024905/https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/06/07/vulcan-centaur-frf-coverage/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2024, the company won its first [[National Security Space Launch]] (NSSL) contract. The New Glenn vehicle is to be used on the launches.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Erwin |first=Sandra |date=2024-06-13 |title=Blue Origin, SpaceX, ULA win $5.6 billion in Pentagon launch contracts |url=https://spacenews.com/blue-origin-spacex-ula-win-5-6-billion-in-pentagon-launch-contracts/ |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=SpaceNews |language=en-US}}</ref>