Blue Origin is building a 125,000-square-foot payload processing facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, marking a $160 million investment and creating 23 new jobs. The facility will support pre-launch processing of space payloads, a gap officials say needs filling to sustain space operations. Space Florida’s Chief Investment Officer Ronald Lau confirmed the project during an Investment Committee meeting Aug. 26. The company plans to break ground on the 140-foot-tall structure, which will expand Blue Origin’s mission capabilities.
Space Florida is proposing a $2.5 million matching grant from the Florida Department of Transportation’s Spaceport Improvement Program to fund construction. The agency’s board will vote on the grant in early September. Space Florida CEO Rob Long called payload processing a ‘critical enabler’ for national security and exploration efforts at the Space Force installation and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. ‘It’s one of the key gaps that are out there,’ Long said.
The project comes as other companies also expand in Florida. All Points Logistics, based on Merritt Island, recently secured a $250 million Space Force contract to build a spacecraft processing center in California. The company also aims to start construction by year’s end on a similar facility at Kennedy Space Center on 65 acres near Schwarz Road.
Blue Origin’s facility will handle payloads for both commercial and government clients, including the Space Force and NASA. The jobs created will pay an average of $115,000 annually, according to Space Florida. The structure will be located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, a site that has hosted launches for decades.
The project highlights growing demand for infrastructure to support space missions as private and government agencies increase their presence in Brevard County. Space Florida’s grant proposal aims to leverage state and federal funds to reduce the company’s upfront costs while ensuring the facility meets industry standards.