Blue Origin Pauses New Shepard Flights to Focus on Lunar Development
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 30 2026
0mins
Should l Buy RKLB?
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin announced it will pause its New Shepard flights and shift resources to further accelerate development of the company's human lunar capabilities. "The decision reflects Blue Origin's commitment to the nation's goal of returning to the Moon and establishing a permanent, sustained lunar presence. New Shepard is the first reusable spaceflight system to vertically land and has flown 38 times and carried 98 humans above the Karman line to date. New Shepard has launched more than 200 scientific and research payloads from students, academia, research organizations, and NASA. This consistent and reliable performance, combined with an exceptional customer experience, has resulted in a multi-year customer backlog," the company stated. Publicly traded companies in the space launch and services area include Rocket Lab (RKLB), ViaSat (VSAT), EchoStar (SATS), AST Space Mobile (ASTS), Voyager Technologies (VOYG), Intuitive Machines (LUNR), FireFly Aerospace (FLY) and Virgin Galactic (SPCE).
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Analyst Views on RKLB
Wall Street analysts forecast RKLB stock price to rise
11 Analyst Rating
7 Buy
4 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 71.310
Low
63.00
Averages
86.89
High
120.00
Current: 71.310
Low
63.00
Averages
86.89
High
120.00
About RKLB
Rocket Lab Corporation is an end-to-end space company. The Company designs and manufactures small and medium-class rockets, spacecraft and spacecraft components, and related software and services to support the space economy. The Company delivers reliable launch services, satellite manufacture, spacecraft design services, spacecraft components, spacecraft manufacturing, and other spacecraft and on-orbit management solutions that make it easier to access space. Its Launch Services segment provides launch and launch-related services to customers on a dedicated mission or ride-share basis. Its Space Systems segment comprises the design and manufacture of spacecraft components and spacecraft program management services, space data applications, and mission operations. Its space systems solutions are the building blocks for spacecraft, which include composite structures, reaction wheels, star trackers, solar solutions, radios, separation systems, and command and control spacecraft software.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Market Performance: Small-cap stocks have underperformed in recent years, but with the Russell 2000 index rebounding, both VBK and IJT could benefit from renewed investor interest in small caps, particularly as VBK's low-cost structure may attract more inflows.
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- Lockheed Martin's Steady Revenue: Lockheed Martin (LMT) reported a record backlog of $194 billion, benefiting from long-term defense contracts; while its revenue growth may be modest, its reliable earnings and shareholder return strategies make it a solid long-term investment choice.
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- Rapid Growth of Software Business: Although Badger Meter's price-to-free cash flow ratio has risen from the low 20s in 2019 to above 50 in 2024, its emerging software business has seen annual growth of 28% over the past five years, presenting investors with an opportunity at a more reasonable 26 times free cash flow valuation.
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