'Blue Origin Needs to be much Faster' Jeff Bezos Admits, But Is It Falling Behind the Space Race?

While there is no exact "space race" at present, the rapid growth of the industry is a significant feat, and that being said, Jeff Bezos recently admitted that his company, Blue Origin, needs to speed up various aspects. In a recent interview with the renowned CEO and founder, it is worth noting that throughout 2023, the company has not yet launched any rockets into space.

Jeff Bezos Admits 'Blue Origin Needs to be much Faster'

In the recent podcast by Lex Friedman, Jeff Bezos appeared as a guest and was interviewed regarding his company, Blue Origin, and it led to talking about the company's performance this year. Here, the founder and CEO admitted that "Blue Origin needs to be much faster, and it's one of the reasons that I left my role as the CEO of Amazon a couple of years ago."

His previous departure on Amazon was greatly followed, seeing the executive putting massive efforts into Blue Origin, where he joined its maiden flight aboard the New Shepard in 2021.

"I wanted to come in, and Blue Origin needs me right now. Adding some energy, some sense of urgency. We need to move much faster. And we're going to."

Is Blue Origin Falling Behind the Space Race?

Ars Technica said that Blue Origin and SpaceX both have 11,000 employees, but it did not see the same numbers in terms of launch. SpaceX brought more than 100 rocket launches to space this year, whereas Blue Origin had none.

While it seems like Blue Origin is already falling behind the space race, behind the likes of SpaceX, Boeing, United Launch Alliance, Northrop Grumman, and more, it is not yet the end of the line for them. Bezos regarded that they will be the "most decisive company across any industry," set to take risks and quickly make decisions to move forward.

Blue Origin and its Year 2023

There were ups and downs for Blue Origin for the year 2023, and first off, the company secured a massive contract with NASA for its heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. The 'New Glenn' is Blue Origin's most powerful rocket in its arsenal, and it was previously chosen to be the rocket for NASA's ESCAPADE mission set to venture to Mars in 2024.

However, it was also earlier this year when the company saw a massive problem in their rocket engine, and back on June 30, the BE4 saw a massive explosion at their testing site in Texas. While the mishap occurred during a firing test of the BE4 rocket, the company already launched its investigation to know more about what caused the incident and what steps to take next.

Additionally, the company's renowned New Shepard rocket saw a significant delay in bringing payloads to orbit, and this was after its September 2022 termination after it was launched. With different problems faced by the company, Bezos admitted the need for it to ramp up its efforts but remains steadfast in its goals to be a competitive company offering its top services within the space industry.