Blue Origin's Suborbital Space Tourism Program Closes After Successful But Costly Run
In a move that marks the end of an era for private spaceflight, Blue Origin has announced that it is putting its suborbital space tourism program on hold indefinitely. The New Shepard program, which was first launched in 2015, had successfully flown over 98 people to space and carried out numerous scientific experiments before coming to a halt.
The decision comes as a surprise to many, including employees who were informed of the plan during an internal email from CEO Dave Limp on Friday. According to Limp, the company will be redirecting its resources towards further development of its human lunar capabilities, with a focus on establishing a permanent presence on the moon.
While the end of the New Shepard program is a disappointment for those who had been looking forward to taking a trip into space, it also represents an opportunity for Blue Origin to refocus its efforts and make a meaningful contribution to the US space industry. The company's plans to fly humans to the moon under NASA's Artemis Program are well-established, but the development of a lunar lander program has been slow to progress.
Industry insiders have expressed both regret and appreciation for the decision, citing concerns about the program's viability and the drain it placed on Blue Origin's resources. However, many see this move as a strategic decision that will ultimately benefit the company and the US space industry as a whole.
"It's time for us to get serious about space exploration," said Phil Joyce, senior vice president of New Shepard at Blue Origin in an internal email. "We've laid the groundwork for our future success with this program. Let's focus on making it happen."
The decision to end the suborbital space tourism program marks a significant shift in Blue Origin's priorities, but it also underscores the company's commitment to pushing the boundaries of space exploration and development. As the US space industry continues to evolve, it remains to be seen how this move will play out, but one thing is clear: the future of private spaceflight has never looked more exciting.
In a move that marks the end of an era for private spaceflight, Blue Origin has announced that it is putting its suborbital space tourism program on hold indefinitely. The New Shepard program, which was first launched in 2015, had successfully flown over 98 people to space and carried out numerous scientific experiments before coming to a halt.
The decision comes as a surprise to many, including employees who were informed of the plan during an internal email from CEO Dave Limp on Friday. According to Limp, the company will be redirecting its resources towards further development of its human lunar capabilities, with a focus on establishing a permanent presence on the moon.
While the end of the New Shepard program is a disappointment for those who had been looking forward to taking a trip into space, it also represents an opportunity for Blue Origin to refocus its efforts and make a meaningful contribution to the US space industry. The company's plans to fly humans to the moon under NASA's Artemis Program are well-established, but the development of a lunar lander program has been slow to progress.
Industry insiders have expressed both regret and appreciation for the decision, citing concerns about the program's viability and the drain it placed on Blue Origin's resources. However, many see this move as a strategic decision that will ultimately benefit the company and the US space industry as a whole.
"It's time for us to get serious about space exploration," said Phil Joyce, senior vice president of New Shepard at Blue Origin in an internal email. "We've laid the groundwork for our future success with this program. Let's focus on making it happen."
The decision to end the suborbital space tourism program marks a significant shift in Blue Origin's priorities, but it also underscores the company's commitment to pushing the boundaries of space exploration and development. As the US space industry continues to evolve, it remains to be seen how this move will play out, but one thing is clear: the future of private spaceflight has never looked more exciting.
I just heard about Blue Origin shutting down their suborbital space tourism program and I gotta say its a bummer... Back in my day 
we used to look up at those stars and dreamt of reaching the cosmos, now its like that dream is slipping away from us. But you know what's cool? They're focusing on the moon 
now! That's like the ultimate next step for humanity,imo. I mean, think about it, a lunar lander program... that's some serious tech 
. Industry insiders are all divided on this decision, but I think its a smart move for Blue Origin. They need to get their priorities straight and make a real impact on the space game. Still sad to see New Shepard go 
, but you can't deny the progress they made. Now lets see what's next for these space pioneers... 
... it was so cool to see people going up into space every year! But at the same time, I get why they're making this change - resources were getting super drained and it's like, you gotta be realistic about what you can achieve in a certain timeframe 
.
I mean, think about it - they're refocusing all that energy and resources on making human lunar capabilities a reality 
Like, can you imagine being the first person to set foot on the moon? 
The Artemis Program is still happening, so we'll get to see those lunar landers soon enough 
It's a win-win in my book 
they did some crazy things like fly people to space and test stuff on the edge of orbit, it was like a real-life Interstellar 
but at the same time i get why they had to scale back, those things are super expensive 
. i mean, 98 ppl went up in space - that's a pretty impressive stat! but i guess if they wanna focus on the moon and make it a thing, they gotta be willing to take some risks 
. and who knows, maybe one day we'll see a lunar lander program that's actually worth the $$$ 
.
. And yeah, it's not cheap, but who doesn't love a good adventure right?! 
. Either way, I think we're in for some wild times in space exploration 
they said they're redirecting their resources 2 lunar lander program which sounds pretty cool 
maybe this is just a strategic move 4 them 2 focus on bigger & better things 
also wonder how much it cost them to run this thing 
. It's actually pretty inspiring that they're pushing forward with their lunar plans – we need more people like them exploring space 
It was like a rocket ship to the moon, and then BAM! 
. 98 people flew on New Shepard, but over $2 billion went into it 
. They didn't want to be wasteful with resources when there are more important goals to achieve 
. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out and what other awesome things they come up with next 
