Limp will join Blue Origin, starting December 4 as CEO and Smith will step aside on January 2 "to ensure a smooth transition", Bezos said in an email to Blue Origin employees.

Limp joins Blue Origin at a key phase of the company’s multiple space projects.

In a statement to CNBC, a Blue Origin spokesperson praised Limp as “a proven innovator with a customer-first mindset” who has “extensive experience in the high-tech industry and growing highly complex organisations”.

Limp, head of Amazon devices and services who has been with the company for nearly 14 years, confirmed in August that he was stepping down.

Panos Panay, Microsoft’s former Windows and Surface chief, is reportedly joining Amazon to oversee its hardware business.

Panay is likely to run Amazon’s division for its Alexa and Echo speakers.

Blue Origin won a $3.4 billion NASA contract earlier this year to build a lunar lander for the US space agency’s astronauts.

Under Smith’s leadership, Blue Origin has grown to several billion dollars in sales orders, “with a substantial backlog for our vehicles and engines", Bezos wrote in his email.

“Our team has increased from 850 people when Bob joined to more than 10,000 today. We’ve expanded from one office in Kent to building a launch pad at LC-36 and five million square feet of facilities across seven states,” he added.