Post Owner Jeff Bezos Is Going to Outer Space

Jeff Bezos is coming to DC Wednesday not to manage news, but to make it.

The owner of the Washington Post and Amazon is scheduled to show up at the National Press Club at 1 PM to announce a project between Blue Origin, his space-exploration startup, and United Launch Alliance, a company that sends up spacecraft.

United Launch Alliance spokeswoman Jessica Rye declined to offer hints about the announcement.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Blue Origin is part of a team led by Boeing that will receive part of a $7 billion NASA contract to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Since the space shuttle program ended in 2011, only Russian Soyuz rockets make the trip, which might make for unpleasant flights these days. The press conference may offer details about the contract.

Bezos has been fascinated with space travel for years. He started Blue Origin with the goal of providing low-cost trips to the great beyond for average earthlings. He has been secretive about Blue Origin’s activities until now: Today’s press conference will be the first public announcement by Bezos on his space company.

Bezos is in competition with tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, which is sharing the NASA contract with Boeing’s group.

Will the Post cover the news conference? Has Bezos tipped off his reporters?

This will be the first test of that relationship.

Find Harry Jaffe on Twitter at @harryjaffe. 

Harry Jaffe