Oct 7 (Reuters) - Blue Origin is likely to pursue an initial public offering in the coming years, billionaire founder Jeff Bezos said on Wednesday, after the space company raised $10 billion from outside investors for the first time in a funding round.
"I think, someday, Blue Origin will have an IPO... It would be several years from now. But it probably makes sense for Blue Origin to be a public company at some point," Bezos said on FOX News Channel's "Special Report with Bret Baier".
The remarks are Bezos' clearest indication yet that Blue Origin could seek a stock market listing. An eventual IPO would offer investors exposure to a major space company amid renewed interest in the sector, though rival SpaceX, which listed in June, remains the dominant player.
Bezos, who also founded Amazon.com, said he has personally invested $28 billion in Blue Origin since establishing the company in 2000.
The Wall Street Journal reported in September that Blue Origin's recent funding round valued it at $140 billion.
Founded about 18 months before Elon Musk's SpaceX, Blue Origin has largely relied on Bezos for funding while securing multibillion-dollar NASA and US Space Force contracts, including for work on the Artemis lunar program.
Blue Origin aims to resume New Glenn launches this year after a launch-pad explosion during a static-fire test in May delayed its efforts to compete with SpaceX in the commercial launch market.
"December of this year, we're going to fly that vehicle again," Bezos said.
(Reporting by Mrinmay Dey in Mexico City; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
