In addition to being supported by one of the largest fortunes in the world, Blue Origin obtained a good part of its financing from suborbital trips, for which its millionaire passengers paid a fortune. However, Jeff Bezos is going to leave his exclusive space tourists on the ground for at least two years.
In a statementBlue Origin has announced that it is now prioritizing its lunar plans over short New Shepard flights, putting on hold its luxury weightlessness experiences that have taken celebrities and great fortunes to the edge of outer space.
The rich stay on land. Blue Origin has decided to suspend the flights of its reusable New Shepard rocket “for no less than two years” to redirect resources towards the Artemis project that must bring it back to life. humanity to the moon. This pause directly affects the space tourism business that depended on this reusable rocket launched from the Texas desert, where both the ship and the capsule return to be reused in future missions.
Space tourism has been one of the great sources of income for Blue Origin, which has built a solid client portfolio and even has a waiting list for several years. The official statement does not clarify what will happen to people who already had flights scheduled for the coming months, leaving these millionaires in temporary limbo.
It was a means, not an objective. The suspension of the space tourism program shows that the program was always a means of making profitable and financing Blue Origin’s developments and innovations, but the priority had always been reach the moon either establish orbital colonies.
These suborbital flights are clearly reserved for economic elites, celebrities and select guests. Among his amateur “astronauts” is Jeff Bezos himself, his wife Lauren Sanchez, the singer Katy Perry, or to Spaniards like him media Jesús Calleja o Alberto Gutiérrez, founder of the platform Civitatis that just a few days ago reached the Kármán line. This stoppage shows that, although exclusive, suborbital tourism has not achieved sufficient launch frequency to maintain itself as a priority compared to more contracts. lucrative and strategic with NASA.
Decisive bet on the Moon. Blue Origin maintains a multimillion-dollar contract with NASA to develop Blue Moonits lunar landing module for the Artemis programwhich seeks human return to the Moon and a sustained presence there.
The pause in New Shepard launches is intended to “redirect resources to further accelerate the development of the company’s lunar human capabilities” by freeing up engineers, materials and budget to accelerate Artemis 5, planned for 2029 as descent module for astronauts. Blue Origin has underlined its “commitment to the national goal of returning to the Moon and establishing a permanent and sustained lunar presence.”
Space tourism is left without competition. Blue Origin’s decision creates a new gap in the offer of suborbital flights intended for “space tourism.” In 2024, its main rival, Virgin Galacticsuspended its operations due to the high cost of the missions and the development of rockets to carry them out. However, Richard Branson’s company has announced the possibility of resuming its flights in 2026, although with higher rates.
For the millionaires who longed for their moment of glory floating in the New Shepard capsule, this means at least two years of waiting without a clear resumption date, confirming that Jeff Bezos has chosen the Moon like the real prize.
Image | Blue Origin
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