Bob Smith, the Chief Executive Officer of Blue Origin, will step down from his role in December. He will be succeeded by Dave Limp, an executive from Amazon, who had been overseeing the development of Project Kuiper constellation.
Smith’s retirement will officially take effect on December 4, and he will remain actively engaged with the company until January 2 to ensure a smooth CEO transition.
Under Bob Smith’s leadership, Blue Origin has experienced growth, expanding its workforce from fewer than 1,000 employees to a staggering 10,000 employees today. During his tenure, the company achieved several milestones, including the successful development and commencement of commercial flights for the New Shepard suborbital vehicle. Simultaneously, Blue Origin continued its tireless efforts towards the advancement of the New Glenn orbital launch vehicle and the BE-4 engine, which powers both the New Glenn and United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket.
Limp’s appointment marks a pivotal moment for Blue Origin, as the company navigates several critical phases in its various space projects. These projects include the task of scaling up production for its BE-4 rocket engines, relaunching the space tourism rocket New Shepard, conducting the maiden flight of the next-generation New Glenn rocket, and completing a recently awarded NASA contract for a crewed lunar lander.
Limp brings with him a wealth of experience from his tenure at Amazon, where he not only oversaw the development of Project Kuiper, Amazon’s broadband internet constellation but also played a key role in the success of consumer devices like Kindle and Echo.
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