Bezos hopes Amazon strategy will help Blue Origin top SpaceX Premium

Amazon veteran Dave Limp tapped by Jeff Bezos to lead Blue Origin, accelerating development of New Glenn rocket & BE-4 engine to compete with SpaceX.

An Amazon veteran tapped by Jeff Bezos to lead Blue Origin aims to pull from the e-commerce giant's speedy manufacturing playbook to give the space company's rocket launch and moon lander business a badly needed boost against Elon Musk's SpaceX.

Top priorities for Dave Limp, who led Amazon's lucrative devices unit, include accelerating development of Blue Origin's long-delayed New Glenn rocket and production of its powerful BE-4 engine, according to employees who attended the new CEO's company-wide meeting this month.

Drawing comparisons with Amazon's customer-centric sales ethos, Mr. Limp stressed the importance of meeting schedule deadlines, said the employees, who asked not to be identified discussing the internal meeting. Mr. Limp also suggested placing greater focus on integrating software and artificial intelligence in manufacturing.

Blue Origin declined to make Mr. Limp available for an interview and didn’t respond to questions for comment. On his first day on the job on December 4, Limp said on a LinkedIn post that he was “excited to get started”.

Mr. Limp is seen as a trusted Bezos deputy capable of helping push Blue Origin through the final, complex stages of developing the heavy-lift New Glenn rocket, the company's long-delayed key to earth orbit and main challenge to SpaceX's dominant Falcon 9.

The clock is ticking as customers, such as Amazon's satellite internet unit Kuiper, wait to fly on New Glenn, which is critical to Blue Origin generating meaningful revenue.

Though it has yet to reach orbit, Blue Origin's industry footprint is vast. Limp will also oversee plans to build a moon lander for NASA, an orbital space station and a business centered on maneuverable servicing and refueling satellites.