Billionaire Jeff Bezos may be best known for founding e-commerce giant Amazon.com. These days, the billionaire is leading the way at space startup Blue Origin. While some in the space industry are betting on space data centers soon, Bezos is more cautious with the timeline.

Data Centers in Space

Bezos said data centers in space are "very realistic," but he's not ready to get on board with a short timeline.

"Some of the timelines we hear are very short," Bezos told CNBC on Wednesday. "People would talk about two or three years. That's probably a little ambitious."

The comments come ahead of a highly anticipated SpaceX IPO, with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk suggesting the short timeline.

Bezos said energy and chip costs need to come down to make this a reality, alongside lower launch costs.

Blue Origin plans to send 51,600 data center satellites into low Earth orbit. The launch, named "Project Sunrise," was submitted to the Federal Communications Commission for approval in March, as reported by CNBC.

Moon Vs. Mars

During the CNBC interview, Bezos praised NASA’s decision to focus more on the Moon now, before turning to Mars exploration.

Blue Origin is working with NASA on a lunar base, a permanent home on the Moon.

"NASA is really focused on the Moon now," Bezos said.

Bezos added that he's been focused on the Moon for a really long time.

"I would cautious people who think it's all science fiction to be a little cautious with their judgment, because it is real, it is happening. It's probably going to happen faster than most people think."

Blue Origin Funding and Future

Up until now, Blue Origin has been funded by Bezos. The billionaire has mostly funded the space company and its capital needs by selling a portion of his Amazon.com stock.

Blue Origin is now considering outside funding for the first time.

"We finally have enough visibility into our future," Bezos said. "It's a good time to start thinking about the future."

Asked about SpaceX's upcoming IPO and a potential valuation of $2 trillion, Bezos said he doesn't know enough about the company's financials to make a comment.

One thing Bezos is confident in, with or without the SpaceX IPO, is the sector’s potential size.

"Space is going to be a gigantic industry."

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