Blue Origin’s orbital launch site director

knows his company faces a unique challenge.

CAPE CANAVERAL — The man who helped bring Blue Origin’s $200 million factory and launch site to Brevard County says one of the space company’s biggest challenges will be to integrate into a long-standing community.

Scott Henderson, Blue Origin’s orbital launch site director, said the firm faces the challenge of working like a startup while trying to integrate smoothly into an industry long in the making.

“We want to be lean and agile, but we also know that the Space Coast brings a lot of expertise in this business,” he said. “The question is how do we bring that together without breaking that paradigm?”

Blue Origin will break ground on its facility in the coming months and expects to hire up to 300 people in highpaying jobs on the coast.

This could boost the region’s economy, which officials have said is growing while companies such as Blue Origin and SpaceX establish presences here.

Henderson told the National Space Club that Blue Origin’s decision to build in Florida came down to incentives, existing infrastructure and talent pool.

“It was a tough competition,” he said. “But Florida provided the best overall package, addressing both our technical needs and program requirements. They really tackled the issue of making Florida more practical for commercial space operations.”

It’s an effort that has been crucial to Space Coast ever since the space-shuttle program shut down in 2011.

Space Florida’s Dale Ketcham said as companies emerge, it benefits them to be as open as possible about their plans.

“A lot of people here want to see them succeed,” he said. “They should want to keep that level of enthusiasm and support going.”

Joe Velez works for ASRC Federal, a subcontractor on the coast that has done work with NASA’s Orion program.

He said he appreciated Blue Origin’s apparent shift toward being more open as they grow in the region.

“It’s great for them to disclose themselves,” he said. “Some people here still don’t know what they do or how they could help the economy here. They have a lot to offer.”

Some say newly emerging companies should remain realistic about their prospects.

“I hope the enthusiasm continues but I hope they don’t have too high of expectations,” Boeing’s John Cipolletti said after the speech. “It’s not an easy business and people tend to forget that.”