I had earlier estimated the New Shepard could form an orbital rocket using three cores:
Triple Cored New Shepard as an orbital vehicle.
http://exoscientist.blogspot.com/2016/01/triple-cored-new-shepard-as-orbital.html
But Jonathan Goff on Selenianboondocks.com raised the possibility that a single New Shepard could serve as a first stage booster for an orbital rocket. This would cut costs since it would be reusable as is the F9 first stage.
I estimate New Shepard could indeed be a booster to orbit using a hydrolox upper stage half-size to the Centaur, resulting in a 1 to 2 metric ton payload. Such an upper stage already exists in the Ariane H10-3:
New Shepard as a booster for an orbital launcher.
http://exoscientist.blogspot.com/2016/01/triple-cored-new-shepard-as-orbital.html
Using one of the larger
Star solid rocket upper stages, New Shepard probably could send a few hundred kilos to LEO as a booster. This would be a faster, cheaper implementation for getting an orbital rocket from the New Shepard though due to the small payload it would have a small market. Still with reusability of the booster lowering costs, it's possible it could have a market for nanosats.
Plus, it might beat SpaceX again, this time reusing a booster for an
orbital launch.
Bob Clark