Jeff Bezos says Blue Origin could go public in coming years after $10 billion funding boost

Jeff Bezos says Blue Origin could eventually launch an initial public offering (IPO), giving investors one of the clearest indications yet that the privately held space company could enter the stock market. Bezos said the move is likely still several years away, but that it could make sense for Blue Origin to become a public company.

The comments came after Blue Origin raised $10 billion from outside investors in its first such funding round. The development could put the company on a path towards a future stock market listing as interest in commercial space businesses continues to grow.

Bezos says Blue Origin IPO could happen

Speaking to Fox News Channel's Special Report with Bret Baier, Bezos said he expects Blue Origin to go public “someday”. He added that an IPO would be “several years from now”, while saying it probably makes sense for the company to become public at some point. The comments are significant because Bezos has historically funded much of Blue Origin himself. He said he has personally invested $28 billion in the company since founding it in 2000. The Wall Street Journal reported in September that Blue Origin's latest funding round valued the company at around $140 billion.

Blue Origin takes on SpaceX

Blue Origin was founded around 18 months before Elon Musk's SpaceX, but the two companies have followed very different paths. SpaceX has become the dominant commercial launch provider, while Blue Origin has spent years developing its launch systems and building a business around government and commercial contracts. Blue Origin has secured multibillion-dollar contracts from NASA and the US Space Force, including work connected to NASA's Artemis programme. A future IPO would give public-market investors an opportunity to gain exposure to Blue Origin's rockets, space infrastructure and other projects.

It would also give the company another potential source of capital as it attempts to close the gap with SpaceX.

New Glenn launch is the next big test

Before an IPO, Blue Origin faces a more immediate challenge: getting its New Glenn rocket back into action. A launch-pad explosion during a static-fire test in May delayed the company's efforts to compete more aggressively in the commercial launch market. Bezos said Blue Origin plans to fly New Glenn again in December this year. The upcoming launch could therefore be an important test for the company's ambitions. Blue Origin is trying to prove that it can operate a reliable heavy-lift launch business while expanding its role in NASA's lunar programme and the wider commercial space market. For now, Bezos has not given a specific IPO date. But after the $10 billion funding round and his latest comments, the possibility of a Blue Origin stock market debut is looking more concrete than before.