Jeff Bezos' space company designing large lunar lander

By Eric M. Johnson

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Jeff Bezos' space company is in the conceptual design phase of a large lunar lander that it says will provide reusable access to the moon's surface and its resources, Blue Origin said on Wednesday.

The vehicle is part of Blue Origin's broader mission of enabling a future in which millions of people live and work in space.

"The next logical step in this path is a return to the Moon," the company said in a statement. "To do this we need reusable access to the lunar surface and its resources."

The company, founded by Amazon.com Inc Chief Executive Officer Bezos, is also working to develop its New Shepard rocket for short tourism trips to space and the heavy-lift launch rocket New Glenn for satellite launch contracts.

(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Frances Kerry)