FAA Says Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin Space Program, No Problem

Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos with aspiring astronaut Michael Strahan. (photo: twitter)

JAKARTA - The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Friday December 10 that it had found no safety concerns after investigating allegations made against Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin space program.

The FAA said in September it would review security concerns raised by former Blue Origin employees. The FAA said on Friday that it was closing its investigation after finding "no specific security concerns" and taking no action against billionaire Jeff Bezos' space company.

Reported by Reuters, Alexandra Abrams, Blue Origin's former head of Employee Communications, and 20 unnamed Blue Origin employees and former employees, said in an essay they had "seen a pattern of decision-making that often prioritizes execution speed and cost reductions over expended resources." right to ensure quality."

A Blue Origin spokesman did not immediately comment on Friday but said in September that Abrams was "dismissed for reasons two years ago following repeated warnings for issues involving federal export control regulations."

Abrams told CBS News, which first reported the allegations, that he had never received any warning regarding export control issues.

Last July, on a New Sheppard flight carrying Bezos, the suborbital spacecraft veered about 66.5 miles (107 km) over the Texas desert.

Blue Origin said in September that it argued it was happening "with our safety record and belief that the New Shepard is the safest space vehicle ever designed or built."

Abrams' 2018 essay said the team at Blue Origin "documented more than 1,000 reports of problems related to the engines that power Blue Origin's rockets, which have never been addressed."