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Blue Origin, the space company founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, is laying off about 10% of its workforce—roughly 1,000 employees—following the successful launch of its first orbital rocket, New Glenn.

The news came in an email to employees sent on Thursday, which was obtained by CNN.

The layoffs will primarily affect positions in engineering, research and development, project management, and various layers of management.

CEO Dave Limp explained that the decision was part of the company's effort to streamline its operations as it moves forward with its annual operating plan.

The goal, according to Limp, is to boost manufacturing capabilities and speed up rocket launches.

"We grew and hired incredibly fast in the last few years, and with that growth came more bureaucracy and less focus than we needed," Limp wrote in the email. "It also became clear that the makeup of our organization must change to ensure our roles are best aligned with executing these priorities."

Despite the layoffs, Limp reassured employees that the company will continue hiring in other areas.

Blue Origin aims to scale its manufacturing output and increase the speed of its launches, particularly for its growing customer base.

According to CNN, the company has made significant strides with New Glenn, a powerful rocket designed to carry large payloads into space.

Its uncrewed test flight last month was largely successful, though a key maneuver—landing the rocket's booster—was not achieved.

SpaceX had similar struggles in its early years but eventually mastered the technique, which helps to reduce launch costs.

Blue Origin Lays Off Employees While Expanding Lunar and Space Tourism Plans

Alongside New Glenn, Blue Origin also continues to launch its New Shepard rocket, which is used for suborbital space tourism.

New Shepard carries paying customers on brief trips to the edge of space, providing them with an exhilarating experience.

Limp did not link the layoffs directly to any specific project at Blue Origin, but the cuts reflect a broader shift in the company's priorities.

"Our priority for 2025 and beyond is to scale our manufacturing output and launch cadence with speed, decisiveness and efficiency for our customers," he said in the email, NY Times said.

While Blue Origin has yet to publicly disclose the exact number of employees it has, estimates suggest the company's workforce exceeds 10,000.

Over the years, Bezos has invested billions of dollars into the company, which remains focused on reducing the cost of launching cargo into space—a critical part of his vision for future human colonization of space.

Blue Origin has faced competition from other private space companies, particularly Elon Musk's SpaceX, which has a more established presence in space exploration. However, the company remains optimistic about its future.

In late 2023, Bezos hired Limp, a former senior Amazon executive, to steer the company toward greater urgency and efficiency.

Limp acknowledged the challenges ahead but emphasized the company's progress. "We've hit all our milestones," he said, referring to Blue Origin's upcoming lunar lander mission. "We're still on track, subject to Artemis schedule."

The company is set to send a cargo-only lander to the moon later this year, testing technology that will be used for future missions, including one for NASA's Artemis program.

Tags

Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin