Blue Origin announced a new top hire — and to the space community, it’s a familiar name.
On Dec. 26, Blue Origin announced former CEO of United Launch Alliance (ULA), Tory Bruno, would be joining the team as their new president of national security. Founded by Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin has a large operation in Cape Canaveral, where its New Glenn rocket has launched twice in the past year. New Glenn is also on tap to deliver national security missions in the future.
“Welcome to Blue Origin, @torybruno. We share a deep belief in supporting our nation with the best technology we can build,” Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp posted to X (formerly Twitter) the afternoon of Dec. 26. “Tory brings unmatched experience, and I’m confident he’ll accelerate our ability to deliver on that mission. Glad to have you with us.”
Bruno will lead Blue Origin’s newly formed National Security Group. Very few details have been released.
“Thanks Dave. We are going to bring important, innovative, and urgently needed capabilities to our Nation. Can’t wait to get started,” Bruno wrote in a reply.
Just last week, Bruno announced he was stepping down from his role as CEO of United Launch Alliance to pursue a unidentified opportunity. Bruno served in the position since 2014, seeing the company through the first few flights of its new Vulcan rocket, including a national security mission in August.
Over the years, United Launch Alliance has been known for launching numerous national security missions from Cape Canaveral.
Both ULA and Blue Origin’s rockets have a shared feature. When it comes to powering Vulcan’s core stage, United Launch Alliance has utilized the same BE-4 engines as Blue Origin’s orbital New Glenn rocket.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Tory Bruno resigns from ULA, joins Blue Origin team
Reporting by Brooke Edwards, Florida Today / Florida Today
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