It appears that the billionaire club is now located in the sky, with Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos joining Elon Musk of Space X and Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic and Boeing Co. in the space race.
Bezos revealed at a press conference Tuesday that the Cape Canaveral air force base in Florida will be the home to his expanding space company, Blue Origin.
"Our new home on the Space Coast is anchored by the launch site at Complex 36," Bezos said at a press event in Cape Canaveral. "The site saw its last launch in 2005 and the pad has stood silent for more than 10 years — too long. We can't wait to fix that."
The new Cape Canaveral facility will create 330 jobs and invest $200 million locally, but the possible space advancements could lead to more opportunities for mankind beyond Earth's soil.
"Our ultimate vision is millions of people living and working in space," Bezos said. "We have a long way to go."
Blue Origin will build rockets at its new facility with the goal of having them ready to launch later this decade.
"I don't know how long this will take, but one day, I look forward to having a press conference with you guys in space," he added.
Bezos said Blue Origin's BE-4 rocket engine will be tested at the Florida base. The rocket engine, which will power the flight of United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket, is currently in development.
The space company's flagship rocket, the New Shepard, was previously tested at its Texas facility in April. However, its first flight did not go as well as planned when its propulsion model was lost.
Like the other billionaires set out on space exploration, Bezos said this has been a dream of his since he was a young boy.
