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Blue Origin Pauses New Shepard Space Tourism Flights for Two Years

lite News Desk 2 min read

At a glance

  • Blue Origin will halt New Shepard flights for at least two years
  • The pause is intended to accelerate lunar program development
  • New Shepard has carried 98 people and over 200 research payloads

Blue Origin announced on January 30, 2026, that it will suspend its New Shepard suborbital space tourism missions for a minimum of two years. The company stated that this step will allow it to focus resources on advancing its human lunar exploration projects.

According to Blue Origin, the temporary halt in New Shepard operations is intended to support the development of the New Glenn orbital rocket and the Blue Moon lunar lander. These projects are part of the company’s broader efforts to contribute to human missions to the Moon.

Since July 2021, New Shepard flights have launched from West Texas, carrying passengers on brief journeys above the Kármán line. Each mission has lasted approximately ten minutes, providing suborbital experiences for space tourists.

In addition to passenger flights, the New Shepard program has supported scientific research by launching more than 200 payloads. These missions have enabled a range of experiments and technology demonstrations in a suborbital environment.

What the numbers show

  • New Shepard completed 38 flights before the pause was announced
  • 98 individuals have traveled above the Kármán line with New Shepard
  • More than 200 scientific and research payloads have been launched

Blue Origin holds a contract with NASA valued at approximately $3.4 billion to develop a spacecraft capable of transporting humans to the lunar surface. The company’s ongoing projects are intended to support NASA’s objectives for lunar exploration.

The decision to pause New Shepard flights was described by Blue Origin as part of its commitment to aiding NASA’s plans for returning humans to the Moon and establishing a continued presence there. Resources will be redirected to accelerate progress on the company’s lunar initiatives during the suspension period.

New Shepard’s achievements since its first crewed launch include carrying nearly one hundred people and supporting a variety of research activities. The program’s temporary pause marks a shift in Blue Origin’s operational priorities as it pursues new objectives in human spaceflight.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.

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