Blue Origin's decision to shut down its suborbital space tourism program, New Shepard, after nearly eight years in operation has left many in the industry and investors wondering what went wrong. The program, which was launched by billionaire founder Jeff Bezos in 2015, had been a significant undertaking for Blue Origin, with over 500 employees dedicated to it.
Despite its success, including launching 38 successful flights and landing 36 times, the program has long been considered a drain on the company's resources. Many wondered how long Bezos would continue to subsidize the venture, which was hemorrhaging money in its early days. In November 2023, an article by Ars Technica questioned whether Bezos could sustain the program indefinitely.
However, it seems that Blue Origin has finally made up its mind. The company's chief executive, Dave Limp, announced in a company-wide email that the team would redirect their resources towards further accelerating human lunar capabilities, including the development of New Glenn, another launch system developed by the company.
The decision is seen as a strategic move to focus on Blue Origin's long-term ambitions, which include building settlements in space where millions of people will live and work. While it may come as a disappointment to the few dozen individuals waiting for their turn to fly on New Shepard, industry observers see it as a win for the US space industry.
By concentrating on New Glenn and lunar lander development, Blue Origin is well-positioned to compete with SpaceX for contracts to land humans on the Moon as part of NASA's Artemis Program. The program has already proven its capabilities by safely flying numerous people to space, including several high-profile celebrities.
The decision also marks a shift in focus away from the criticisms that have long surrounded commercial spaceflight, particularly those leveled at Bezos and other billionaires who use their wealth and influence to launch rockets into space.
Ultimately, Blue Origin's move to end New Shepard paves the way for a more efficient and focused approach to space exploration, one that prioritizes the company's core mission of establishing a sustainable human presence in space.
Despite its success, including launching 38 successful flights and landing 36 times, the program has long been considered a drain on the company's resources. Many wondered how long Bezos would continue to subsidize the venture, which was hemorrhaging money in its early days. In November 2023, an article by Ars Technica questioned whether Bezos could sustain the program indefinitely.
However, it seems that Blue Origin has finally made up its mind. The company's chief executive, Dave Limp, announced in a company-wide email that the team would redirect their resources towards further accelerating human lunar capabilities, including the development of New Glenn, another launch system developed by the company.
The decision is seen as a strategic move to focus on Blue Origin's long-term ambitions, which include building settlements in space where millions of people will live and work. While it may come as a disappointment to the few dozen individuals waiting for their turn to fly on New Shepard, industry observers see it as a win for the US space industry.
By concentrating on New Glenn and lunar lander development, Blue Origin is well-positioned to compete with SpaceX for contracts to land humans on the Moon as part of NASA's Artemis Program. The program has already proven its capabilities by safely flying numerous people to space, including several high-profile celebrities.
The decision also marks a shift in focus away from the criticisms that have long surrounded commercial spaceflight, particularly those leveled at Bezos and other billionaires who use their wealth and influence to launch rockets into space.
Ultimately, Blue Origin's move to end New Shepard paves the way for a more efficient and focused approach to space exploration, one that prioritizes the company's core mission of establishing a sustainable human presence in space.
. I mean, 38 successful flights and 36 landings is a pretty good track record, but 8 years and over $1 billion in losses is still bloody expensive 
. I think Bezos was just trying to prove a point, you know? Show the world that space tourism can be done on a budget... yeah right 
. Anyway, it's all about focusing on the long game now 
. New Glenn and lunar lander development are where the real money is being made 
. Blue Origin needs to step up their A-game if they want to compete with that guy 
. Still, I guess it's progress, right? The space industry is moving forward, and we're all just along for the ride 
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. It's not just about getting people to space, but creating a sustainable presence that can support millions of people 
. And by targeting NASA contracts, they're putting themselves in a great position to compete with SpaceX 
. I think it's a strategic move that'll pay off in the long run 
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. It's like, you can't keep throwing money into something that's not yielding any real returns, you know? 
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. They've got the resources and expertise to really make a dent in space exploration 
. And who knows, maybe one day we'll see humans living on the moon and working in space colonies 
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I'm kinda surprised by this decision...I mean, New Shepard was pretty cool! 
. I mean, SpaceX has already been doing some amazing work with their Starship program, and if Blue Origin can learn from them and adapt, they'll be right in the mix.
i mean, 38 successful flights and 36 landings? that's crazy! 
those billion-dollar contracts with nasa are gonna be huge for them! 
...bezos is just trying to make it happen, u know? shutting down new Shepard was def not an easy decision for him...he could've kept throwing money at it and hoped for the best but instead he's taking a calculated risk by redirecting resources towards lunar capabilities. that's actually pretty bold 
. it's not like new Shepard was the only game in town...spacex has their own issues too 
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. Space tourism was always the experimental phase, right? Now they're focusing on the real meat of the space program 
. And I got to feel for the New Shepard fans 
- but hey, there's always 2026? 
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Also, didn't SpaceX also launch some high-profile celebrities into space recently? Is that a coincidence or did they just happen to have the most convenient launch window? 
, so Blue Origin needed to get its priorities straight. I'm curious to see how Bezos and Co. will do with their lunar ambitions, though - that's gonna be some heavy lifting 
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. It's all about sustainability and setting the stage for humanity to live and work in space 
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plus, think about it, space tourism is still super niche 
and expensive 
so prioritizing lunar capabilities makes way more sense 
. I'm not sure what the future holds for New Shepard, but I think this move shows that Blue Origin is thinking about what's gonna get them there in the long run 
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and let's be real, Bezos isn't just flying blind here