A report questioning the Air Force’s decision to use domestic rocket engines might explain Jeff Bezos’s sudden openness about Blue Origin.

An expert report questioning the Air Force’s decision to replace Russian-built rocket engines with domestic rocket engines could explain Jeff Bezos’s sudden willingness to speak more openly about his rocket company. This morning, The Seattle Times and The New York Times each had stories about Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin company. It was the first time Bezos had opened up the Kent-based rocket company to reporters and talked about his effort to develop a new generation of rockets and rocket engines. The new openness could be related to a report published in the Wall Street Journal three days ago. The report referenced an independent panel that reportedly concluded last year that the Air Force’s effort to replace the Atlas V rocket, which uses a Russian-built rocket engine, with a new generation of rockets using domestic engines was “too risky and likely will prove overly expensive.” The Journal article points out that these arguments “threaten to damaged United Launch Alliance LLC, the military’s premier satellite-launch provider.” United Launch, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed, has proposed the development of a new rocket called “Vulcan” that would use one of two domestic rocket engines currently under development, one of which is by Blue Origin.