Blue Origin Cuts 10% Of Jobs To Ramp Up Rocket Launches

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Blue Origin is reportedly planning on letting go of approximately 10% of its workforce—about 1,000 employees—nearly a month after the inaugural liftoff of New Glenn. The company is hoping to focus on growth over the next few years, increasing the production and launch cadence of its new giant rocket.

After years of delays, Blue Origin finally debuted its New Glenn rocket on January 16. The heavy-lift launch vehicle blasted off from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, marking the first time a Blue Origin rocket reached orbit (the company's New Shepard rocket, used for space tourism purposes, is suborbital). New Glenn's second stage reached its target orbit following a pair of successful burns of the BE-3U engines, while its booster was lost during descent. The company was hoping to carry out a soft landing of the booster on an ocean-based platform, but alas, that didn't happen. Still, the rocket's inaugural flight was a major success.

During an all-hands call on Thursday, Limp argued that the company's decision to let go of more than 1,000 employees would help Blue Origin scale the manufacturing of New Glenn and increase its launch cadence, Reuters reported .

SpaceX has been an industry favorite for years, while Bezos' Blue Origin finally got it together last year under new leadership. The company replaced Bob Smith as CEO, hiring former Amazon executive Limp  as his replacement.

It's good to see the company making progress on its space ambition, but that, unfortunately, seems to have come at a price.

A static fire test of the New Glenn rocket, which involved unauthorized use of a deluge system, cost the company $3,250.