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“Beyond Parody”: Backlash Erupts Over All-Female Blue Origin Rocket Launch
Critics slam Jeff Bezos-backed Blue Origin flight as tone-deaf luxury stunt while participants defend its mission to inspire
What was positioned and marketed as a historic, empowering moment quickly became a lightning rod for criticism. Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission — its first all-female rocket flight — took off with media fanfare but landed amid celebrity backlash and online mockery. The 11-minute suborbital trip, funded by Jeff Bezos’ space company and launched from west Texas, featured an eclectic crew: pop star Katy Perry, Bezos’s fiancée Lauren Sanchez, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, producer Kerianne Flynn, and CBS host Gayle King. In theory, it was a celebration of female achievement in space exploration. In practice, it sparked accusations of elitism and performative feminism.
Meet Katy Perry ‘The Astronaut’ after a billion-dollar Blue Origin Commercial Space Travel.
“That’s End Times Shit”
Model and actor Emily Ratajkowski was one of the loudest voices of dissent. Labelling the launch “disgusting,” she criticized the irony of a space trip celebrating “Mother Earth” while being bankrolled by a company accused of environmental damage. “Look at the state of the world and think about how many resources went into putting these women into space. For what?” Emily Ratajkowski asked.
Her outrage was echoed by actor Olivia Wilde, who reposted a meme of Katy Perry kissing the ground post-flight with the caption, “Getting off a commercial flight in 2025 #BlueOrigin.” Wilde added her own dig:
“Billion dollars bought some good memes I guess.”
Comedian Amy Schumer took a more satirical approach, posting a mock video claiming she had been added to the mission last minute. Holding a Black Panther toy, she deadpanned: “It has no meaning to me, but it was in my bag… and they were like, ‘Do you want to go to space?’” She continued the gag in her Instagram stories, joking, “Lauren Sanchez, Katy Perry, and Amanda Nguyen have been my guiding lights through this whole journey.”
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“So Much Money to Go to Space”
Actor Olivia Munn joined the chorus, questioning the mission’s relevance. “What are you guys gonna do up in space?” she asked during a Today With Jenna and Friends appearance. Calling the trip “a bit gluttonous,” Olivia Munn emphasized the disparity between the costs of such ventures and real-world struggles.
“There’s a lot of people who can’t even afford eggs.”
Defending the Mission
In response to the uproar, Gayle King stood firm. “Anybody that’s criticizing it doesn’t really understand what is happening here,” she said at a press conference. Lauren Sanchez also pushed back, urging critics to visit Blue Origin and meet the engineers and teams behind the mission. “They love their work, and they love the mission,” Lauren Sanchez said. “It’s a big deal for them.”
The NS-31 mission marked a milestone: the first all-female space flight since Soviet astronaut Valentina Tereshkova flew solo in 1963. Blue Origin credits Lauren Sanchez with inspiring the launch, calling it a mission “to challenge perspectives, empower storytelling, and create lasting impact.”
But in an era of climate crisis and economic disparity, critics argue the spectacle of celebrities floating in zero gravity may be more alienating than inspiring.
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