ULA To Invest in Blue Origin Engine as RD-180 Replacement for Atlas 5

U.S. government launch services provider United Launch Alliance will pay Blue Origin, the secretive rocket-making venture led by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, an unspecified sum to complete development of a new engine that will replace the Russian-made RD-180 that powers the first stage of ULA's Atlas 5 rocket, the companies announced Sept. 17.