UPDATED: Rocket engine production coming to Huntsville

Published 10:42 am Monday, June 26, 2017

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — 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.

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Ivey said the project will create 350 new jobs and be a $200 million investment.

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

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