Huntsville lands Bezos’ rocket engine plant

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — A rocket company owned by Amazon-founder Jeff Bezos is coming to Huntsville.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced Monday that Blue Origin, a private spaceflight company, will build its BE-4 rocket engine in Huntsville. Ivey says the project will create 350 new jobs and be a $200 million investment.

According to the company’s website, the powerful BE-4 engine is designed to end dependence on Russian-built engines for launching payloads into space.

Ivey said on social media that the project will build on the historic role that Huntsville and Alabama have played in the development of the American space program.