Fifty years ago, an exceptional generation of men and women helped to launch Americans into space and land NASA astronauts on the Moon. Buzz Aldrin, above, walked on the Moon with Neil Armstrong on Apollo 11, July 20-21, 1969. Today, the next generation of space travel is increasing the launch tempo on Florida’s Space Coast and creating new business opportunities for launch support services that have not been seen before

If all goes according to Blue Origin's ambitious plan, the Space Coast will become the opening phase of a "road to space" for millions of people taking their livelihoods beyond Earth's fragile atmosphere.

The Jeff Bezos-led company is investing more than a billion dollars into the region to transform infrastructure — old and new — into gateways for its upcoming New Glennrocket, a towering vehicle slated to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than 2021. It will also be built, launched and refurbished here after landing on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Rocket manufacturing is a prestigious win for Florida, which historically has been designated as the launch site to which assembled vehicles were transported. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, for example, is assembled in California, tested in Texas and moved via truck to Florida for spacecraft integration and launch.

Today, however, companies like Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and now SpaceX are planning on building towering vehicles of aluminum and stainless steel right here on the Space Coast.

The space race is back, driven by the government but enabled by private companies that are bringing jobs, prestige and and challenges to Florida. And this time, the state is serving as more than the nation’s launching pad.

In less than a decade, the region has rebounded by attracting companies such as plane maker Embraer to join longtime Defense Department contractors Lockheed, Northrop Grumman and Harris in Brevard County.

Commercial rocket companies SpaceX and Blue Origin arrived, too, as the state and Space Florida — Florida’s port authority for space — invested in launch and manufacturing facilities. Boeing came to build its Starliner space capsule. Lockheed came to build its Orion deep-space crew transport, Blue Origin arrived to build a rocket factory for its New Glenn rocket and OneWeb came to build satellites. Florida, which for the most part was the place that launched spaceships — but didn’t build them — suddenly did both.

A new generation of commercial space companies, dubbed "NewSpace," is emerging around the world and on Florida's Space Coast, where astronauts once departed for the moon missions of the 1960s and '70s and on space shuttle missions in the following decades.

Florida Rep. Tyler Sirois is plowing forward with his effort to persuade federal officials to approve creation of the U.S. Space Force, and establishment of the Space Force and U.S. Space Command in Florida.

For the second time in less than a month, Melbourne has hit the national radar among the best places to be, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report. The most recent report released by the publication ranked Melbourne No. 25 as one of the top 25 best places to live in the country. In March, the publication ranked Melbourne as No. 1 in the nation when it comes to the best places to live near the beach

Foundry Commercial, a full-service real estate services and investment company with operations across the Southeast and Texas, has been named the exclusive representative for the highly anticipated Space Coast Town Center, a mixed-use development featuring prime sites available for multi-family, retail, hospitality and office use near St. Johns Heritage Parkway in West Melbourne.

Blue Origin is expanding its footprint on the Space Coast with another phase of development on its massive factory outside Kennedy Space Center.