Blue Origin pauses New Shepard flights, shifts gears from suborbital to lunar goals

Blue Origin recently announced plans to halt New Shepard flights for no less than two years. The company will redirect resources to speed up its human lunar flight program. This move is said to support U.S. aims for a sustained Moon presence, the company explained in its press release.

New Shepard, the first reusable system to vertically land, has flown 38 times.

According to the press release, it carried 98 humans past the Kármán line. The rocket also launched over 200 scientific payloads for students, universities, groups and NASA.

Chicago Star’s presence on Blue Origin’s NS-30

The firm's tenth human spaceflight, NS-30, marked the New Shepard program's 30th mission back in February 2025. Chicago Star’s founder and owner, Elaine Hyde, was aboard this flight, which lifted off from West Texas Launch Site One. Other astronauts aboard the flights included Lane Bess, Jess Calleja, Dr. Richard Scott, Tushar Shah and one undisclosed member. Lane Bess flew for the second time.  

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Blue Origin’s New Shepard flights gained even more global attention last spring when an all-women, celebrity-packed crew took off in April 2025. That flight included Jeff Bezos’ wife, Lauren Sanchez, superstar Katy Perry, and CBS Anchor Gayle King, according to The Guardian.

Despite a multi-year customer backlog from reliable flights and strong experiences, Blue Origin prioritizes lunar goals. The pause underscores the company's focus on bigger space ambitions.