Jeff Bezos: Blue Origin Wants to Colonize the Solar System

Jeff Bezos sets his sights on some of the most "ambitious" space programs yet. Bezos' space company, Blue Origin, is developing new technologies that could advance its space exploration programs. Apart from successfully launching and landing rockets for four times in a row, the space company also plans to take tourists to space and fly its newest monster rocket soon.

To add to that, Bezos wants to explore the possibility of colonizing the solar system and spreading humanity across every livable planet or moon that could be found.

"I wish there were a trillion humans in the solar system. Think how cool that would be. You'd have a thousand Einsteins at any given moment--and more. There would be so much dynamism with all of that human intelligence," the Amazon.com founder said in an interview with The Washington Post.

"But you can't do that with the resources on Earth or the energy on earth. So if you really want to see that kind of dynamic civilization as we expand through the solar system, you have to figure out how to safely move around and use resources that you get in space," Bezos added.

However, to venture this far into the solar system, Bezos said NASA would need to put some effort into developing a space nuclear reactor that could take humans beyond Mars.

"I think NASA should work on a space-rated nuclear reactor. If you had a nuclear reactor in space-- especially if you want to go anywhere beyond Mars, you really need nuclear power," Bezos said.

"Solar power just gets progressively difficult as you get further way from the sun. And that's a completely doable thing to have a safe, space-qualified nuclear reactor."

Earlier this month, Blue Origin has revealed its new heavy-lift rocket named New Glenn after NASA astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth. The new rocket will stand 270 feet tall and will have 3.85 million pounds of thrust. It will have a booster capable of vertical landings, which will enable the company to reuse the first stage of the rocket for satellite launches and crewed space vehicles.

Blue origin has also been testing another reusable rocket named New Shepard, which is a space project that will carry tourists up in space to experience microgravity and view the Earth.