Jeff Bezos is coming to DC Wednesday not to manage news, but to make it.
The owner of the Washington Post and Amazon is scheduled to show up at the National Press Club at 1 PM to announce a project between Blue Origin, his space-exploration startup, and United Launch Alliance, a company that sends up spacecraft.
United Launch Alliance spokeswoman Jessica Rye declined to offer hints about the announcement.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Blue Origin is part of a team led by Boeing that will receive part of a $7 billion NASA contract to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Since the space shuttle program ended in 2011, only Russian Soyuz rockets make the trip, which might make for unpleasant flights these days. The press conference may offer details about the contract.
Bezos has been fascinated with space travel for years. He started Blue Origin with the goal of providing low-cost trips to the great beyond for average earthlings. He has been secretive about Blue Origin’s activities until now: Today’s press conference will be the first public announcement by Bezos on his space company.
Bezos is in competition with tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, which is sharing the NASA contract with Boeing’s group.
Will the Post cover the news conference? Has Bezos tipped off his reporters?
Post Owner Jeff Bezos Is Going to Outer Space
Bezos is visiting Washington to plug his space-exploration company. Yes, really.
Jeff Bezos is coming to DC Wednesday not to manage news, but to make it.
The owner of the Washington Post and Amazon is scheduled to show up at the National Press Club at 1 PM to announce a project between Blue Origin, his space-exploration startup, and United Launch Alliance, a company that sends up spacecraft.
United Launch Alliance spokeswoman Jessica Rye declined to offer hints about the announcement.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Blue Origin is part of a team led by Boeing that will receive part of a $7 billion NASA contract to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Since the space shuttle program ended in 2011, only Russian Soyuz rockets make the trip, which might make for unpleasant flights these days. The press conference may offer details about the contract.
Bezos has been fascinated with space travel for years. He started Blue Origin with the goal of providing low-cost trips to the great beyond for average earthlings. He has been secretive about Blue Origin’s activities until now: Today’s press conference will be the first public announcement by Bezos on his space company.
Bezos is in competition with tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, which is sharing the NASA contract with Boeing’s group.
Will the Post cover the news conference? Has Bezos tipped off his reporters?
This will be the first test of that relationship.
Find Harry Jaffe on Twitter at @harryjaffe.
Most Popular in News & Politics
A Historic DC Black Church Now Owns the Proud Boys’ Name
OPM’s New Email System Prompts Lawsuit
Trump’s Attempts to Shrink the Federal Workforce Could Hit the DC Area’s Economy Hard
In the Event of a US Invasion, Canadians Really Like Their Chances
Republicans Are Once Again Trying to Rename Dulles Airport for Trump
Washingtonian Magazine
February Issue: 100 Very Best Restaurants
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
These DC Food Activists Were Behind the Ranked-Choice-Voting Initiative
A Biography of Perle Mesta Sheds Light on a Famed DC Figure
Inside the Library of Congress’s Artificial-Aging Lab
Guest List: 5 People We’d Love to Hang Out With This January
More from News & Politics
Chris Hayes Knows Why Tech Makes Us Feel Bad
UDC’s President Wants You to Think Differently About the City’s Public University
Spoons Are Becoming a Symbol of Feds’ Resistance to Trump and Musk
It’s Deadline Day for Feds Pondering Trump’s Resignation Offer, Wizards Trade Kyle Kuzma, and Deer Hunting Will Not Come to Falls Church Anytime Soon
Figure Skating Event to Honor Lives Lost in DCA Plane Crash
How to Stay Grounded Right Now, According to DC Therapists
Do Trump and Musk Want to Control the Weather Now?
What’s Going On With These Allegedly Stranded Astronauts?