Open Space: Vanderbilt Alumni Propel a Vision for Space Travel That’s Accessible and Sustainable

By Lucas Johnson

All photos courtesy of Blue Origin

David Limp

David Limp, BS'88, CEO of rocket company Blue Origin, is on a quest to open a new frontier of space exploration and has set his sights on building a "road" for millions of people to get there.

Blue Origin and a handful of other private companies, like Virgin Galactic and SpaceX, are racing to develop low-cost, reusable rockets that are safe enough to regularly ferry humans-and other materials-to space and back again. At least a dozen other Vanderbilt alumni are working in some capacity with Limp to achieve the company's sweeping vision.

"We want to make it so that our kids' kids have an easy path to space," says Limp, who received the School of Engineering's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2018.

Limp, a longtime Amazon executive, moved to Blue Origin in 2022 with the goal of expanding the company's ambitious capabilities. Beyond establishing a reliable space transportation network to transport materials and tourists to the moon, the company eventually hopes to gain a foothold on the lunar surface, building infrastructure there and mining the soil for materials used to make solar panels.

"The name of our lunar team is Lunar Permanence," Limp says. "In the Apollo days, we went to the moon, came back and then just decided not to go anymore. What we're trying to do is build an economy on the moon, a lunar permanence, such that we can stay there."

In 2023, Blue Origin won a $3.4 billion contract through NASA's Artemis program to lead a team to develop a lunar lander named Blue Moon that will be used to transport astronauts to the lunar surface as early as 2029. The contract also covers development of a cargo version of the lander that officials say will be able to transport 30 metric tons, more than 10 times the capacity of the early Apollo-size lander. The first lunar landing through NASA's Artemis program is planned for 2026.

A rendering of Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander that will return astronauts to the moon as part of NASA's Artemis program

Limp says being able to transport more payload into space is one way to reduce the high cost of space travel. But Blue Origin's standout innovation is its New Glenn rocket, a towering 320-foot giant designed for heavy-lift missions and named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth. After years of development, the rocket launched in January carrying a test satellite into orbit. At its core are seven powerful engines, each producing enough thrust to lift nearly 10 fully loaded jumbo jets off the ground-a combined force of 3.85 million pounds. What makes New Glenn truly groundbreaking is its reusability. Instead of following the standard practice of discarding the rocket's booster-the largest and most expensive part-after each launch, Blue Origin recovers and refurbishes it for future flights. This strategy significantly cuts costs and makes space travel more sustainable and accessible.

"Imagine if you were to fly on an airplane and every time you had to throw away the airplane when you were done with it," Limp says. "That's just inconceivable. We save hundreds of millions of dollars (through reuse)."

New Glenn's first and second stages in process at Blue Origin's orbital launch vehicle factory at Cape Canaveral, Florida

VANDERBILT PRESENCE

One of the people helping Blue Origin meet its goals is Vanderbilt alumna Sara Tsai, BE'19, ME'20, a guidance, navigation and control system analyst supporting the development of the Blue Moon lunar landers. As a student, she worked in the Vanderbilt Aerospace Design Lab and participated in the NASA Launch Initiative for her senior design project, all while excelling as a distance runner for Vanderbilt's track and field and cross-country teams. Despite Vanderbilt not having an aeronautical engineering program, Tsai said getting involved in VADL sparked an interest and gave her the skills to find a job in the space industry.

"Through VADL, I learned the importance of building strong teams," Tsai says. "I had the opportunity to work alongside some of Vanderbilt's brightest and most hardworking engineers, and from that experience, I knew that I wanted to work at a company that prioritized building a strong culture. At Blue, I get to work with dedicated experts who are deeply passionate about our mission."

Tsai continues to pursue her passion for running, as well. She has plans to run the Boston Marathon in April 2025.

The New Glenn vehicle rolled out and upended for the first time to undergo a series of tanking and mechanical system tests

Vanderbilt alumna Erika Wagner, BE'20, worked at Blue Origin for more than 12 years as a senior marketing executive before leaving last year to join The Exploration Company, a startup spacecraft manufacturer. A longtime space enthusiast, Wagner said she was passionate about spaceflight when she arrived at Vanderbilt, and that her professors helped connect her biomedical engineering major to opportunities in the field.

"After graduation, I realized I needed to deepen my understanding of the aerospace industry, so I applied to graduate schools in a NASA-run network for Space Biomedical Engineering," she said in an earlier interview. "I did my master's at MIT in aeronautics and astronauts, focused on space human factors, and my doctorate in a joint Harvard/MIT program in bioastronautics. Even today, I still get to thank my Vandy network for connecting me to opportunities for board service, community service and professional speaking."

As for Limp, he says Vanderbilt motivated him to be curious and take chances, and he enjoyed the university's collaborative environment. Before coming to Blue Origin, Limp spent about 30 years in consumer electronics. Fourteen of those years were as a senior executive at Amazon, where he helped launch the company's Alexa voice assistant and other devices and services. So, when he was approached about joining Blue Origin, Limp acknowledged he didn't know much about rockets-but he was curious, and he liked the company's collaborative approach in satisfying its customers.

"What I really liked about Vanderbilt, and I think it's only gotten better since I was there, was that it … was collaborative," Limp recalls. "We all wanted each other to succeed. I feel like that collaborative nature is actually more how things work in business versus being overly competitive."

Blue Origin's New Glenn on the launch pad

Other Vanderbilt alums working at Blue Origin include Bailie Borchers, BE'13, senior financial analyst; Matthew Byrne, BE'07, systems engineering and technical program management; Cody Dinkins, BS'08, MS'11, director - Avionics EE & Radiation Effects; Evan Johnson, MS'22, product lead; Jacqueline Machesky, BS'17, structural engineer; Matthew McGowan, BS'23, fluid systems engineer; Paul Register, BE'17, propulsion analyst; Jeffrey Servoss, BE'03, senior software development engineer; Adam Smith, BE'20, ME'21, fluid systems engineer; and Corey Webb, MS'12, training developer for rocket scientists.

Krishnendu Roy, Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of the School of Engineering and University Distinguished Professor at Vanderbilt University, says the various areas in which alums-particularly those from engineering-are working at Blue Origin is a testament to the preparation the university provides its graduates.

"No matter what field they are in, Vanderbilt engineers are prepared as technology leaders and are equipped to make a widespread, innovative impact in society, both in their local communities and on the world at large," Roy says.

LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE

Limp says some of his favorite moments in his role at Blue Origin have been seeing how suborbital flights change people's lives. There's a sensation that's been dubbed the "observation effect," Limp explains, in which they view the Earth from space and realize just how "fragile and precious it is."

"They seem joyful and sad at the same time," Limp says. "They want to give back. Many have donated another seat, or helped fundraise to give someone else the chance."

NS-26 astronauts at Launch Site One. Dr. Eiman Jahangir, professor of medicine and radiology, stands far left, back row.

So far, Blue Origin has launched 47 people into suborbital space, including three who have gone up twice. Among those traveling once was Dr. Eiman Jahangir, professor of medicine and radiology and director of cardio-oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Jahangir called the experience "unbelievable" and says he would like to go up again-possibly on an orbital flight.

"If I could spend four or five days in space, I'm in," Jahangir says. [See below]

One of the more memorable Blue Origin flights was made by 91-year-old Edward Dwight, the United States' first Black astronaut candidate. He became the oldest person to go to space on a New Shepard flight last May, edging out (by a few months) Star Trek actor William Shatner, who flew aboard a Blue Origin rocket in 2021.

Dwight's historic flight on Blue Origin was, in a sense, also a form of justice.

In the 1960s, Dwight, an Air Force captain, was fast-tracked for space flight after then-President John F. Kennedy asked for a Black astronaut. Despite graduating in the top half of a test pilot school, Dwight was subsequently passed over for selection as an astronaut. After leaving the Air Force, he went on to become a celebrated sculptor who specializes in creating likenesses of historic African American figures.

Limp says Dwight's trip to space was particularly special.

"He is a national hero, and to see him finally fulfill this dream that was taken away from him, not by his own fault, was a very special treat," Limp says.

NS-18 astronaut Audrey Powers at apogee

THE FUTURE

With the launch of its New Glenn rocket, Blue Origin is meeting its objective to haul more payload, like satellites and other gear, into space. Cellular satellite provider AST SpaceMobile recently announced a deal to use New Glenn to send up its next-generation satellites.

Limp says while New Glenn is part of Blue Origin's vision to launch rockets more frequently and carry more payload to eventually set up an infrastructure on the moon, the company has not lost sight of those who will be part of that future. That's why a top priority is nurturing the next generation of innovators through Blue Origin's nonprofit foundation, Club for the Future. Chaired by Limp, the foundation encourages young people to pursue careers in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math).

"You go back to the mission, and we're trying to build a road to space for millions of people," Limp says. "And to do that, we have to train our young people to be world-class in technical fields."

Eiman Jahangir (Joe Howell)

VANDERBILT CARDIOLOGIST GETS LUCKY BREAK; FULFILLS DREAM OF GOING TO SPACE

Since he was 4 years old, Eiman Jahangir has been fascinated with space. He aspired to be an astronaut and was twice a finalist for NASA. But it wasn't until the Vanderbilt cardiologist got a lucky break-literally-that he was able to finally travel to space.

On Aug. 29, 2024, Jahangir, MPH'13, professor of medicine and radiology and director of cardio-oncology, was one of a six-person crew on Blue Origin's 10-minute NS-26 flight that lifted off and landed in the West Texas desert.

The flight was made possible through the organization MoonDAO, whose objective is to decentralize and democratize access to space. It raised millions of dollars, mainly through crowdfunding, to purchase two seats aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard suborbital rocket. The rocket is named after Alan Shepard, the first American in space and the fifth person to walk on the moon. The organization held a sweepstakes, and during a live drawing from more than 2,200 entries, Jahangir was selected for one of the seats.

"Words can't describe how I felt when I found out," Jahangir says. "It was a dream come true."

Around the time Jahangir obtained his medical degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, he took a family trip to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. That trip only increased his desire to be an astronaut, and by the time he arrived at Vanderbilt for a clinical fellowship in cardiology, he had dug into the process and learned that much of his medical training also prepared him to meet NASA's requirements.

He first applied to NASA in 2008, made the short list, applied again in 2013, and again was short-listed. Though he was not selected, he trained with astronauts and pursued training privately. In 2023, he was part of a four-person crew sealed into a pressurized habitat called Biosphere 2 for six days. Hermetically sealed and pressurized, he got even more of a taste for space.

When he finally got the chance to go into space, his training on earth made the flight that much more exhilarating. Even though the ascent subjected him to three gs of force, Jahangir says it was manageable because New Shepard's seats are specially designed to absorb the force.

Once in zero gravity, he enjoyed the experience of weightlessness, but the view of Earth and unfiltered rays from the sun through the windows of his capsule were even more captivating.

"You're looking down at the Earth and it's beautiful, bright, an unbelievable view," Jahangir recalls. "Then, as we're coming back down, all of a sudden the sun hit me. It was so unexpected and peaceful, an amazing sensation."