The Commercial Spaceflight Federation congratulates Blue Origin on their partnership with United Launch Alliance to jointly fund the development of their new BE-4 rocket engine. The agreement includes a four-year development process with full scale testing in 2016 and first flight in 2019.
“We are pleased to see the commercial space industry step up to the challenges for sustainable space exploration,” stated Incoming President Eric Stallmer. “Blue Origin’s American made engine will provide cost-effective and reliable access to space for national security, civil, and commercial purposes. Congratulations to both Blue Origin and ULA on their announcement, and I look forward to following the progress of the BE-4.”
The development of the BE-4 engine has been underway for three years and its components are currently undergoing testing at Blue Origin’s West Texas test facilities. Read more about the BE-4 engine here.
About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation
The mission of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is to promote the development of commercial human spaceflight, pursue ever-higher levels of safety, and share best practices and expertise throughout the industry. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation’s member companies, which include commercial spaceflight developers, operators, spaceports, suppliers, and service providers, are creating thousands of high-tech jobs nationwide, working to preserve American leadership in aerospace through technology innovation, and inspiring young people to pursue careers in science and engineering. For more information please visit www.commercialspaceflight.org or contact Associate Director Sirisha Bandla at sirisha@commercialspaceflight.org or at 202.715.2928.
