Can You Buy Blue Origin Stock in 2024?
Elon Musk isn't the only billionaire with a space exploration company.
Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder, started Blue Origin in 2000. 24 years later, the company is still committed “to building a road to space so our children can build the future.”
However, there are many steps between this goal and where space travel currently stands.
Right now, Blue Origin is dedicated to making reusable launch vehicles and space technologies that are safe, affordable, and serve the needs of several types of clients.
Each successful launch moves the company closer to that founding vision. And, given Bezos' track record, he's probably not a bad person to invest alongside.
Can you buy Blue Origin from your brokerage?
Blue Origin is a private company, meaning it's not listed on a public exchange. There is no Blue Origin stock symbol and you can't buy it from your regular brokerage.
To date, the company has been mostly funded by Bezos and a handful of grants from NASA and the U.S. Space Force. It also recently completed a funding round.
Additionally, Blue Origin has generated revenue by winning contracts with the abovementioned government agencies, some of which are worth several billion dollars.
Bezos himself has also pledged to sell $1 billion of Amazon stock per year “for a long time” to fund Blue Origin until the company is self-sustaining.
Because of these sources of funding and his passion for space (more on this below), Bezos has no plans to take the company public. This is definitely worth noting as a potential investor.
However, if you are interested in investing, there is a way you may be able to do so at some point while the company is private.
Can you invest before the IPO?
Shares of many private companies can be purchased on Hiive, a secondary marketplace where private, VC-backed companies and their shareholders can sell stock. These sellers may be employees, venture capital firms, or angel investors.
Buyers can either accept the asking price as listed or place a bid and negotiate directly with sellers. Additionally, there are no buying fees on Hiive.
Accredited investors can register for Hiive and gain access to hundreds of private companies.
Accreditation requirements
To qualify as an accredited investor, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- Have an annual income of $200,000 individually or $300,000 jointly.
- Have a net worth that exceeds $1,000,000, excluding your main residence.
- Be a qualifying financial professional.
Unfortunately, there are no listings for Blue Origin on Hiive at this time. Nevertheless, you may still be interested in signing up, for if/when shares do become available.
You can also browse their extensive listings for other companies, including one that may be of particular interest — SpaceX, which is the company most similar to Blue Origin.
There are currently 5 active listings for SpaceX stock on Hiive.
You can also check out our full write-up on SpaceX here if you want to learn more about buying shares of the company.
Other ways to gain exposure
In addition to waiting for a Hiive listing or investing in SpaceX, I have a few other ideas for how to gain exposure to Blue Origin and others in its industry.
Invest in Blue Origin's competitors
While you may not be able to invest in Blue Origin, the company does have a handful of competitors that are publicly traded.
Here are a few stocks you may be interested in:
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Boeing (BA): The company makes and sells commercial jetliners, military planes, satellites, missile defense, and human space flight and launch systems worldwide. Space & Security is one of its fastest growing segments.
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Virgin Galactic (SPCE): Founded by Richard Branson in 2017, the company focuses on the development and operation of spaceships and related technologies for commercial spaceflight and research trips.
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Lockheed Martin (LMT): The company creates security and aerospace technologies and has been receiving an increasing number of space-related contracts in the last 5 years.
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Northrop Grumman (NOC): Northrop Grumman's Aeronautics Systems segment designs, develops, manufactures, and sustains aircraft systems in the U.S. and abroad.
Notably, The Blue Origin National Team is a group of companies collaborating with NASA on a mission to return to the moon. Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing are the key players on this team.
Invest in space exploration ETFs
If you can't decide which of the above companies to invest in or are seeking broad diversification into space exploration stocks, consider one of the following ETFs:
- SPDR S&P Kensho Final Frontiers ETF (ROKT)
- Direxion Moonshot Innovators ETF (MOON)
- iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA)
- Procure Space ETF (UFO)
- ARK Space Exploration & Innovation ETF (ARKX)
While these ETFs invest in a lot of the same companies, each fund has its own objectives and acceptable risk profiles, so be sure to do your research to find which is best suited for your portfolio.
Invest in Amazon
While Amazon (AMZN) doesn't have any ownership interest in Blue Origin, the two companies do overlap on a handful of projects.
In 2022, Amazon announced a partnership with Blue Origin to support the development of Orbital Reef, a commercial space station.
Amazon's AWS said it would provide services and technology tools to support development, networking, and operations.
Furthermore, Amazon is contributing its expertise in logistics to assist with delivery and inventory management plans.
Amazon is also using Blue Origin rockets to launch the satellites used in its internet-from-space venture, Project Kuiper.
At this point, it's hard to say if Amazon's stock will benefit from any success Blue Origin has, but that may change in the future.
It's also worth noting that Amazon and Blue Origin's core businesses are in completely different industries, so any investment in Amazon is not a direct investment in space exploration.
Who owns Blue Origin?
Blue Origin is entirely owned and primarily funded by Jeff Bezos. While the exact amount is not disclosed, it is estimated that Bezos has committed over $7.5 billion.
Unlike Musk's SpaceX and Branson's Virgin Galactic (which is now a public company), Blue Origin has not sought out venture capital funding, suggesting that its focus and goals may differ.
In addition to Bezos, employees likely also own some portion of the company via stock options, though the exact amount has not been publicly disclosed.
Does Amazon own Blue Origin?
Unlike the vast majority of ventures started by Bezos, Blue Origin is not an Amazon subsidiary.
Bezos stepped down as Amazon's CEO in 2021 to focus on new ventures. He's had a strong affinity for space since childhood, so it's not surprising that he's devoted the bulk of his attention and a considerable amount of money to Blue Origin.
How to buy the Blue Origin IPO
Blue Origin has not made any indication of an initial public offering in the future.
The company has a handful of government contracts (most recently a $3.4 billion NASA contract) and has received funding from Bezos, NASA, and the U.S. Space Force.
Given how deep-pocketed these entities are, there's a good chance Blue Origin will never need to turn to the public markets for funding.
That said, spaceflight is an incredibly expensive business. If Blue Origin loses some or all of its government funding, I wouldn't be surprised to see an IPO shortly thereafter.
If Blue Origin does go public, you'll be able to look up its stock symbol and buy it in your brokerage account. If you don't have a brokerage account, we recommend Public.
Blue Origin valuation
Since the company is private and has primarily been invested in by Jeff Bezos himself, there is no information regarding Blue Origin's valuation.
Furthermore, the company has never released any financial information, so it's hard to speculate on its valuation.
For comparison's sake, SpaceX is valued at $137 billion, though SpaceX's current commercial applications and revenue are likely much larger than Blue Origin's.
Based on these factors and the size of the government contracts it's winning, I would estimate Blue Origin to be worth somewhere between $30–$50 billion.
