Blue Origin’s all-female spaceflight, carrying Katy Perry, faces backlash over celebrity crew

Blue Origin’s All-Female Spaceflight Draws Applause and Backlash (Image: laurenwsanchez/Instagram)

As Katy Perry floated above Earth and stars framed the capsule windows, a new chapter in space travel quietly unfolded. For many, it felt like a message of hope and empowerment. For others, it looked like a glittering distraction in troubling times.

A 10-Minute Flight That Made History
Blue Origin launched its 11th human spaceflight on Monday morning, sending six women past the edge of space aboard its fully automated New Shepard capsule. The rocket lifted off from West Texas just after 8:30am local time and returned smoothly after about ten minutes in flight.

The capsule crossed the Kármán line, the internationally recognised boundary of space, reaching more than 100 kilometres in altitude. Onboard were singer Katy Perry, television personality Gayle King, Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sánchez, NASA engineer-turned-entrepreneur Aisha Bowe, civil rights advocate Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn. Each woman’s contribution was symbolised in the mission patch, designed with personalised elements.

The trip marked Blue Origin’s first all-women mission and the first all-female spaceflight since 1963, when Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to fly solo into space.

Inspiration or Insensitivity? Public Reaction Divides
The mission, while celebrated as a step forward for women in space, also sparked backlash. Some critics argued the spaceflight was more of a high-profile spectacle than a scientific achievement. With celebrities and Bezos’ fiancée onboard, the trip appeared more curated than groundbreaking.

Model Emily Ratajkowski voiced her criticism in a video posted on TikTok. “You're going up in a spaceship that is built and paid for by a company that is single-handedly destroying the planet,” she said. “Look at the state of the world and think about how many resources went into this—for what?”

Despite the scepticism, Blue Origin maintained that the mission represented a powerful moment for women in aerospace, and the company celebrated the symbolic value of the launch.

Katy Perry: From Stardust to Stars
Before lift-off, Perry shared that she had long been fascinated by space. She prepared by studying astrophysics and reading Carl Sagan’s works. Known for cosmic-themed songs like E.T. and Firework, she described the mission as more than a personal dream.

“I’ve always been interested in the stars. We’re all made of stardust,” Perry said. She added, “You’re brave, you’re bold… No limitations.” Speaking about her daughter Daisy, she said, “Being a mother just makes you level up with that type of power.”

As the New Shepard capsule raced through the sky at speeds more than three times the speed of sound, the all-women crew experienced brief weightlessness — a moment that, for better or worse, has added a new layer to the conversation about space, privilege and purpose.