Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • February 2016 (Revised May 2016)
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

Blue Origin, NASA, and New Space (A)

By: Matthew Weinzierl and Angela Acocella
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:34
ShareBar

Abstract

Jeff Bezos, six years after starting a revolution in retailing with Amazon.com, turned his life-long passion for space into a start-up, Blue Origin. Blue (as it was called) was a part of the New Space industry, a collection of startup aerospace engineering companies that were intent on disrupting the American space sector with new technologies, management approaches, and competitive pressure. NASA hoped to leverage New Space to outsource its near-Earth activities and refocus its own efforts on deep space exploration. One of the agency's main mechanisms for this shift of activities was its Commercial Crew Development program (CCDev), a multi-phase initiative launched in 2009. Blue participated in the first two rounds of CCDev, and by all accounts these had been win-win experiences for it and NASA. The decision point of the case is whether Blue should participate in the third, much larger and more complex, stage of CCDev. The tradeoff facing Blue's leadership was between the legitimacy, expertise, and funding provided by working with NASA and the autonomy, efficiency, and independence threatened by working with NASA. How would Blue, with its clear respect for NASA but its desire (and financial ability) to set its own priorities, make this tradeoff?

Keywords

Cost vs Benefits; Partners and Partnerships; Transportation; Business Startups; Government and Politics; Business and Government Relations; Aerospace Industry

Citation

Weinzierl, Matthew, and Angela Acocella. "Blue Origin, NASA, and New Space (A)." Harvard Business School Case 716-012, February 2016. (Revised May 2016.)
  • Educators
  • Purchase

About The Author

Matthew C. Weinzierl

Business, Government and the International Economy
→More Publications

Related Work

    • February 2016 (Revised May 2016)
    • Faculty Research

    Blue Origin, NASA, and New Space

    By: Matthew C. Weinzierl
    • February 2016 (Revised May 2016)
    • Faculty Research

    Blue Origin, NASA, and New Space (A)

    By: Matthew Weinzierl and Angela Acocella
Related Work
  • Blue Origin, NASA, and New Space By: Matthew C. Weinzierl
  • Blue Origin, NASA, and New Space (A) By: Matthew Weinzierl and Angela Acocella
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College