- Jeff Bezos’ area rocket firm, Blue Origin, has lengthy lagged behind Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
- Its CEO, David Limp, thinks adopting a few of Amazon’s customer-centric tradition will assist.
Jeff Bezos began his Blue Origin rocket firm with a mission to make flying to area so low-cost it will open up a brand new period of “entrepreneurial dynamism.”
But since its founding, Blue Origin has fallen behind different rocket corporations, like Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Its new CEO, David Limp, who spent 15 years at Amazon, thinks taking a web page from the e-commerce big’s customer-centric tradition could possibly be the important thing to turning issues round.
“Even if the know-how is very nice and enjoyable … the shopper must be entrance and middle,” he advised CNBC in a latest interview.
Limp mentioned a part of the issue at Blue Origin when he took over virtually a yr in the past was that it was caught in a analysis and growth part, and wanted to begin manufacturing quicker and placing the shopper — whether or not that is a scientist or an area vacationer — entrance and middle.
“We have been very, superb at constructing shiny factories and superb at constructing high-fidelity prototypes. And a few of these prototypes even flew … however that is not what we need to do to scale to be a world-class producer,” Limp advised CNBC.
Limp mentioned boosting engine manufacturing and efficiently launching the corporate’s signature New Glenn rocket have been its two principal targets for 2024. The firm plans to launch New Glenn by the tip of the yr, which, if it goes easily, would go an extended strategy to proving it will probably nonetheless compete with SpaceX.
The huge rocket stands greater than 320 ft tall and is designed with partly reusable options, much like SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy. Limp mentioned he hopes New Glenn will make historical past by returning its reusable booster after its first check in November, one thing no different firm has achieved.
Blue Origin has taken to calling the rocket “So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance,” which is written on the rocket itself, in a reference to its aim of touchdown its booster on the primary attempt.
“It’ll be adventurous. It’ll be enjoyable. I’m enthusiastic about it … but when we [don’t] stick the touchdown the primary time, that is OK. We’ve received one other booster proper behind it. We’ll construct extra,” Limp advised CNBC.
Blue Origin didn’t instantly return a request for remark from Business Insider.
