Jeff Bezos-Backed Blue Origin Halts New Shepard Flights For Two Years, Shifts Focus To Lunar Program

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) CEO Jeff Bezos–backed Blue Origin announced on Friday that it will pause fully reusable New Shepard suborbital flights for at least two years to accelerate development of lunar landing capabilities, supporting the nation’s moon goals.

New Shepard has completed 38 missions and carried 98 passengers beyond the Kármán line so far, according to the company.

The decision aligns with President Donald Trump‘s December executive order establishing American space superiority goals, including lunar and Mars exploration objectives.

Resources Redirected To Moon Lander

The Washington-based private rocket maker and spaceflight services company stated that it will shift resources to accelerate the development of its human lunar capabilities as part of its commitment to establishing a permanent and sustained presence on the Moon.

“The decision reflects Blue Origin’s commitment to the nation’s goal of returning to the Moon and establishing a permanent, sustained lunar presence.”

Since its first human flight in July 2021, New Shepard has carried more than 200 scientific and research payloads from students, academic institutions, research organizations, and NASA, building a multi-year backlog of customers.

Strategic Pivot To Orbital Programs

The pause allows Blue Origin to prioritize more lucrative government contracts and commercial ventures over suborbital tourism. The company successfully launched its New Glenn rocket in mid-January, marking a significant milestone after years of development.

Blue Origin also recently announced its Terawave satellite internet service, positioning the company to compete with Elon Musk–led SpaceX's Starlink network.

Docking System Testing Completed

The halt announcement follows Blue Origin completing soft capture system testing for its Blue Docking System at NASA Johnson Space Center’s facility on Wednesday, achieving a key Commercial LEO Destinations contract milestone.

According to the official announcement, “The fully vertically integrated system will fly first on our Blue Moon MK2 Lunar Lander, then on Orbital Reef and future vehicles.”

Photo: Shutterstock

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