Mr. Bezos plans to shoot scientific payloads and people into space.

Then he added: “Our new home on the Space Coast is anchored by the launch site at Complex 36”.

The as-yet-named rocket will launch and land vertically, the same method the company is testing for suborbital flights from remote West Texas.

The rockets will be tested and launched from Launch Complex 36, which is a nearby historic launch pad located on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It is presently based in Kent, Washington.

Boeing, meanwhile, announced earlier this month it is building its crew capsule, the Starliner (formerly known as CST-100) in a hangar at Kennedy Space Centre where the space shuttles used to be kept for maintenance and service. Bezo’s Blue Origin project is now a significant competitor to Elon Musk’s, CEO of electric auto maker Tesla (TSLA – Analyst Report), SpaceX program. There was no discussion as to when the new rockets would first launch.

It is the most recent push to restore Florida’s Space Coast, which was financially battered after NASA quit flying the space transports in 2011. During his announcement, he also addressed the history of Complex 36, which includes the Pioneer 10 probe and the Mariner missions. “It’s way more likely to work… but I don’t want to do that”. Blue Origins new rockets will be able to achieve orbital altitudes.

“Too long,” Bezos said.

ULA, which lofts most of the military and national security missions in the USA , intends to use the new engine on its next-generation Vulcan launcher. During the April test, the passenger segment of New Shepard successfully separated from its rocket booster, but the rocket itself was not recovered. Bezos has yet to set a pricetag or a timeline. The nature of the space industry is changing, with more private-sector engagement, but Florida can continue to be a leader in this field if we make the right investments. He calls it “a worthy challenge” that won’t be easy or quick.

The big picture: Blue Origin will bring hundreds of jobs and the return of an active launch platform that’s been quiet since 2005.

In addition to launching from Florida later this decade, Blue Origin will also build the rockets in the state.

Bezos, who grew up in Miami, made his fortune from Amazon.com, which he founded in 1994.

“Bezos said: “[The spacecraft] will be large enough to reach orbit, and it will debut later this decade.