Blue Origin, the space company founded by Jeff Bezos, has announced a temporary pause in its space tourism flights for ‘no less than two years’ to concentrate its efforts on upcoming missions to the moon. This strategic decision aligns with President Donald Trump’s goal of sending astronauts back to the lunar surface by the end of his term.
The company’s move interrupts a program that has enabled Blue Origin to ferry humans beyond the Kármán line, marking the boundary of space, over the past five years. The decision coincides with the upcoming third launch of the New Glenn mega-rocket in late February, initially intended to deploy a robotic lunar lander that is currently undergoing testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
President Trump’s emphasis on lunar exploration has opened opportunities for companies like Blue Origin to contribute to future moon missions, diversifying the space industry beyond SpaceX. Blue Origin stated that this shift underscores its commitment to the national objective of lunar return and sustained lunar presence.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, operational for over a decade, has facilitated numerous space tourism flights, offering passengers brief moments of weightlessness in the company’s space capsule. The rocket’s track record includes 38 successful flights, carrying 98 individuals to space and hosting over 200 scientific research payloads.
Source: TechCrunch