Jeff Bezos Says We Went To The Moon In 1969, But If It Was So Easy Then Why Is It So Hard Now? ‘We Spent 3% of GDP…It Was Very Expensive’ Jeannine Mancini Mon, October 12, 2026 at 9:52 AM EDT 7 min read AMZN -0.37% Trade AMZN on Coinbase Trading disclosure Trading disclosure The above button links to Coinbase. Yahoo Finance is not a broker-dealer or investment adviser and does not offer securities or cryptocurrencies for sale or facilitate trading. Coinbase pays us for certain activity generated through this link. Prices displayed are informational.
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Getting to the moon took a Cold War rivalry, a national commitment and a mountain of money. Now, Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos wants to make lunar exploration a permanent human endeavor, and he says the cost of the original mission helps explain why returning hasn't been easy.
Bezos discussed the issue on Fox News in October, after host Bret Baier raised the moon-landing conspiracy theories that continue to circulate, including claims that the U.S. never actually put astronauts on the lunar surface.
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"We have been there in 1969," Bezos said. "People ask, 'Why is it so hard for us to do it if we did it in 1969?' What you have to know is we spent 3% of GDP when we did it in 1969. Almost 3% of GDP. It was very expensive."
Rather than simply landing astronauts and bringing them home, Bezos wants the next chapter of lunar exploration to establish a lasting presence.
"Today we're going to do it at a lower cost and going to the moon to stay," Bezos said. "It won't just be a mission and leave. It will be a real sustainable lunar base. That's how we'll explore the moon and find interesting things."
The Fox News interview also touched on why the moon could serve as a steppingstone for deeper space exploration. Bezos described it as a gift because it's only about a three-day journey from Earth and offers resources that could be used to produce solar cells and rocket propellant.
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The idea is to build infrastructure that supports continued exploration, rather than treating each lunar landing as an isolated mission. Bezos has argued that establishing a presence on the moon should come before sending humans to Mars.
The ambition comes with a considerable price tag. Bezos said he has personally invested $28 billion in Blue Origin since founding the space company in 2000. The company recently raised $10 billion from outside investors for the first time.
Asked about a potential initial public offering, Bezos said he expects Blue Origin to eventually become a publicly traded company, although investors may have to wait several years.
"I think Blue Origin will have an IPO one day," he told Fox News. "I don't know exactly when that will happen. It will be a few years later, but it seems reasonable for Blue Origin to become a public company at some point."
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The prospect comes as investors look for opportunities in ambitious companies pursuing major technological advances. SpaceX completed its IPO in June, giving public-market investors access to a business that had spent years operating outside the stock market. Early access to a fast-growing company can be appealing, although even high-profile businesses carry investment risks.
The startup story extends well beyond space. Amazon began as an online bookstore, while SpaceX grew from a startup into a major player in the space industry. Today, companies are chasing big opportunities in fields ranging from AI to robotics and energy infrastructure. American PowerGen, for example, is developing power plants designed to meet the growing electricity needs of AI and data centers. The industries differ, but the common thread is the effort to build something that could become far more valuable as demand grows.
For Bezos, the immediate focus remains on making lunar exploration sustainable. A permanent base could turn the Moon from a destination for brief visits into a place where humans can work, develop resources and prepare for journeys farther into space.
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