Bruno Joins Blue Origin to Tackle 'Urgent' National Security Space Projects

United States - Ekhbary News Agency

Bruno Joins Blue Origin to Tackle 'Urgent' National Security Space Projects

WASHINGTON — Tory Bruno, the former chief executive of United Launch Alliance (ULA), has articulated the driving forces behind his decision to join Blue Origin, emphasizing his commitment to addressing pressing national security space initiatives. Central to these ambitions are projects involving the company's sophisticated Blue Ring spacecraft.

Bruno's departure from ULA in December sent ripples through the aerospace industry. Shortly thereafter, Blue Origin announced his appointment as president of its newly formed national security group. While Bruno was a prominent voice on social media during his tenure at ULA, he had maintained a low public profile regarding his new role.

However, in a February 19 webinar hosted by the National Space Society, Bruno elaborated on his transition. He explained that he felt ULA was well-positioned with its Vulcan rocket now operational, freeing him to pursue his long-standing concerns in national security space. "ULA has Vulcan in service," Bruno stated. "There’s a great and robust technology improvement roadmap in front of them."

"That meant I could go back and do these other things I’ve been worrying about almost the entire time I was there: the missile defense problem and dynamic space operations," he added.

He underscored the critical importance of dynamic space operations, a term within the national security space community that describes a spacecraft's ability to maneuver effectively to accomplish missions or evade threats. "I feel that it’s an urgent need," Bruno asserted. "We are behind the need today."

Bruno pointed to the escalating capabilities of China in deploying "threats into orbit" as a primary catalyst for the necessity of dynamic space operations. "This environment is getting worse and we’ve got to catch up fast," he remarked. "For a long time, I’ve been very concerned about that particular mission and wanted to do something about it. This is one of the reasons why I came to Blue Origin once I felt I was free to take a different path."

Bruno noted that his portfolio at Blue Origin includes the Blue Ring spacecraft, characterized by its high maneuverability. Blue Origin is positioning Blue Ring for both government and national security applications. A mission utilizing the spacecraft, supported by a contract from the Defense Innovation Unit, is slated for launch later this year. "It has an enormous amount of delta-v," Bruno said, referencing the change in velocity. "Once it has arrived at its destination orbit, it can maneuver away from that orbit, above it, below it."

He further detailed the spacecraft's capabilities, including its power, communications, and edge computing features. Bruno revealed plans to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) onto the spacecraft to enhance its autonomy in orbit. Additionally, AI will be incorporated into the Blue Ring ground control systems to assist operators in managing anomalies or threats. "It’s a whole other kind of spacecraft, and I’m pretty excited to have this in my portfolio," he expressed.

Bruno argued that while Blue Origin is widely recognized for its launch vehicles, it is evolving into a "full-service" space company. He cited Blue Ring and the company's Blue Moon lunar landers as evidence of this broader scope. "Blue is a very ambitious, fast-moving company across the whole spectrum," he concluded. "We are going to be, not very long from now, one of the dominant and anchor space companies."

Ekhbary News Agency