Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp is infusing urgency and decisiveness into Jeff Bezos' space company.

• When interviewing for the CEO position at Blue Origin last year, Jeff Bezos was asked by Dave Limp one question: "Is Blue Origin a hobby or a business?"
• Limp stated that Jeff believed Blue Origin required manufacturing expertise, decisiveness, and a bit of energy.
• Blue Origin's leader, Jeff Bezos, is confident that the launch of the New Glenn rocket will occur before the year's end, which is one of his primary objectives as he aims to make Blue Origin a global manufacturing powerhouse.

When interviewed last year for the CEO position at Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos, the billionaire's space venture, was the only question Dave Limp had.

Limp questioned Jeff, "Is Blue Origin a pastime or a profession?"

Limp, a senior executive for 14 years, informed Bezos through CNBC that he wouldn't lead Blue Origin if it wasn't a genuine company.

"Limp stated that he didn't know how to run a hobby and added that it wasn't suitable for him if it was a hobby."

He stated that Bezos was resolute in the belief that Blue Origin must operate as a commercial enterprise.

"Bezos convinced me to make the move to the space sector, despite my initial reservations because I'm not an aerospace engineer," Limp admitted.

Limp stated that Jeff believed Blue Origin required manufacturing expertise, decisiveness, and a bit of energy.

For nine months, Limp has been the CEO of Blue Origin, taking over from leadership who had expanded the company's workforce and infrastructure but fell behind on major programs and lost key government contracts.

For years, Blue Origin has been flying tourists and conducting research to the edge of space on short trips, including Bezos himself. Over the past two decades, Bezos has spent billions of dollars annually to transform Blue Origin into a dominant force in the space industry. The company's projects encompass rockets, spacecraft, space stations, and lunar landers.

In the realm of orbital missions, Blue Origin has not yet established itself as a major player in the rocketry industry, with SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, and Firefly Aerospace currently dominating the U.S. launch market.

The company announced that its New Glenn rocket is closer than ever to its long-awaited debut. Standing at 320 feet tall, the launch vehicle is advertised to lift as much as 45,000 kilograms (or over 99,000 pounds) to low Earth orbit, which is double the capacity of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.

New Glenn, like Falcon 9, is designed to be partly reusable, with Blue Origin aiming to return and land the rocket's booster to achieve cost and time efficiencies.

Blue Origin is currently in the final stages of preparing New Glenn for its first launch, which is scheduled for November. The rocket underwent a crucial test firing of its upper stage last month.

The company initially aimed to fly NASA's ESCAPADE mission to Mars on New Glenn's maiden voyage. However, due to a shrinking launch window, the agency postponed ESCAPADE until a later date. In its place, Blue Origin will conduct a demonstration of its spacecraft, Blue Ring, on the first New Glenn launch.

Culture shift

Blue Origin, headquartered in Kent, Washington, has over 10,000 employees across several major locations in the US, including Texas, Florida, and Alabama. According to Limp, Blue Origin has been in an R&D phase for a long time, which he is trying to change.

Limp stated that although we were skilled in constructing gleaming factories and creating high-fidelity prototypes, some of which even flew, our ultimate goal is to become a top-notch global manufacturer.

He emphasized the importance of being able to construct a lot.

Blue's workforce exhibits genuine excitement for space, which serves as the foundation of a "missionary culture," according to him. In contrast, Amazon's customer-centric principles drive its culture, but the company lacks the vehement mission that exists at Blue.

"At Blue, people's eyes light up almost uniformly as they work on space projects, having grown up dreaming of the space industry," Limp stated.

Blue Origin is now adopting Amazon's customer-centric approach, with its clients, including NASA, ULA, and suborbital astronauts, being vastly different from Amazon's previous consumer base. Limp is urging Blue's employees to prioritize customer delivery above all else.

Limp stated that even if the technology is enjoyable and advanced, the customer's needs must remain the top priority.

Limp made several key leadership additions to shift its culture, including Allen Parker as CFO, Jennifer Pena-Leanos as chief people officer, Ian Richardson as senior vice president of manufacturing operations, and Tim Collins as vice president of global supply chain.

The company's headcount was shifted to the factory floor by Limp.

"A factory's performance can be easily determined by walking into it, regardless of the amount of capital expenditure or the type of machinery used. If the machines are not being utilized efficiently, it is like having a brand new car that remains unused in the driveway, providing no enjoyment."

2024 top priorities

As CEO, Limp aims to achieve two primary objectives in his first year: to successfully launch New Glenn and to optimize Blue's engine production.

Limp stated that we cannot travel anywhere without engines, and we had to determine how to construct engines at a rapid pace.

ULA's Vulcan rocket utilizes two BE-4 engines for each launch, while Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket employs only one BE-4 engine.

ULA is targeting four Vulcan launches this year, with two already completed and two remaining. Blue has provided eight flight-ready BE-4 engines to ULA, as well as seven BE-4 engines for the first New Glenn launch. The BE-4 engines functioned as anticipated during the first two Vulcan launches.

Limp stated that by the end of 2025, they must be delivering an engine faster than the current rate of one per sub-10 days.

Blue is confident that New Glenn will launch before the end of the year and plans to quickly increase the frequency of New Glenn missions, aiming for 10 launches next year. However, it still lags behind SpaceX, which is targeting nearly 150 Falcon rocket launches this year.

Blue hopes to achieve its first successful launch of New Glenn, christening the booster "So You're Telling Me There's a Chance." No company has accomplished this feat on the first attempt with an orbital rocket booster, and New Glenn will attempt to land on a 200-foot-wide pad in the Atlantic Ocean on a vessel named Jacklyn.

Limp said, "It'll be adventurous and fun. I'm excited about it. But if we don't stick the landing the first time, that's okay. We've got another booster right behind it. We'll build more."

It is likely that New Glenn's future will include a crew spacecraft, as Blue Origin's mission is to establish a human presence in space for the benefit of Earth. Currently, only SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft is authorized by NASA to transport astronauts to and from orbit, following the setback of Starliner this summer.

When asked about the development of a New Glenn crew capsule, Limp deferred and said, "Nothing to say about that."

Blue Origin has gained experience in suborbital human spaceflight with its New Shepard rocket and capsule. Limp stated that Blue Origin is striving to establish a routine of regular flights with New Shepard, carrying both crew and research cargo.

Blue Origin has completed two New Shepard missions this year and is planning a third next week. The upcoming mission will include a new rocket booster and capsule to accommodate a second vehicle, in response to growing customer demand. Blue Origin lost a booster during a cargo flight failure in September 2022.

Blue Origin is making significant progress beyond New Glenn and engine production. Last year, it won a $3.4 billion NASA contract to build a lunar lander for the agency's astronauts. Additionally, in the spring, Blue Origin gained entry into the Pentagon's lucrative National Security Space Launch program, a reversal from missing out on the previous phase of NSSL in 2020.

Limp is spending his time traveling between Blue Origin's facilities in Seattle, Washington, D.C., Huntsville, Alabama, and Cape Canaveral, Texas, every 2½ weeks. He is interested in leading a space company rather than pursuing it as a billionaire's hobby.

Limp stated, "We should have financial discipline to create a business we love, and make decisions quickly, knowing we'll make mistakes. However, we must not repeat the same mistakes and fix them promptly."