Blue Origin, formed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, had successfully launched its New Glenn rocket last month after years of delays.

Blue Origin has drawn unfavorable comparisons to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which leapfrogged many startups to become the world’s most prolific rocket launcher.

In the memo to staff, Blue Origin's chief executive, Dave Limp, said the job cuts are part of a plan to trim managerial ranks and focus resources on ramping up rocket launches. Blue Origin has recently completed the first test flight of its New Glenn rocket,