Culture

Blue Origin all-female space mission sparks debate over cost, climate impact and public reaction

Friday, 18 April 2025 12:04AM UTC

The all-female Blue Origin spaceflight featuring Katy Perry and others has ignited mixed responses, with praise for its message of female empowerment clashing with criticism over environmental impact, expense and post-flight behaviour.

This week’s all-female Blue Origin space mission, which took off from West Texas on Monday morning, has sparked considerable public debate, not only for its ambitious message of female empowerment but also for its significant cost, environmental concerns, and the behaviour displayed by the six women involved after their return to Earth.

The historic flight was piloted by six women from diverse professional backgrounds: singer Katy Perry, journalist Gayle King, media personality Lauren Sanchez, NASA aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, film producer Kerianne Flynn, and activist Amanda Nguyen. The mission was operated by Blue Origin, the space exploration company founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos.

Originally intended to inspire millions as a symbolic leap for women in space, the 11-minute suborbital flight quickly attracted criticism from various quarters. The mission’s expense and its environmental impact were questioned extensively. Although Blue Origin’s rocket primarily emits water vapour and thus produces almost no direct carbon emissions, scientists have pointed out that it releases an ozone-depleting greenhouse gas, contributing to global warming.

Katy Perry, who was among the crew, has become the focal point of much of the public commentary. She was seen performing a dramatic gesture upon exiting the capsule, holding a daisy aloft before kneeling and kissing the ground. The pop star explained in a post-flight interview that the mission was “about love and belonging,” emphasising a collective energy and the importance of “making space for future women and taking up space and belonging.” Perry also responded emotionally to a reporter who addressed her as an astronaut, stating that the experience connected her “super connected to love” and was “all for the benefit of Earth.” The daisy was revealed to be a symbolic tribute to her four-year-old daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom, whom she shares with fiancé Orlando Bloom. Her daughter was also publicly introduced for the first time during the mission, dressed in an astronaut costume to witness the flight.

Despite Perry’s heartfelt explanations, many observers and social media users found her post-flight display overly theatrical. The public discourse compared her actions unfavourably to the extended and more scientifically demanding missions of NASA astronauts such as Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who recently returned after nine months in space. Furthermore, Perry reportedly feels regret about the public spectacle aspect of her actions, especially the “kissing the ground” gesture and close-up moments inside the capsule where she held the daisy to the camera, shared her upcoming tour’s setlist, and sang “What a Wonderful World.” An insider told the Daily Mail that she “doesn’t regret going to space” but finds the backlash “disheartening,” wishing some footage had remained private.

The response to the mission has not been limited to the general public. Several celebrities, including Emily Ratajkowski, Olivia Wilde, Olivia Munn, and Amy Schumer, have criticised the flight, characterising it as a publicity stunt benefiting Bezos’s space company rather than a meaningful scientific endeavour. Fast food giant Wendy's even chimed in with a tongue-in-cheek comment questioning if Perry could be “sent back” to space. In the same vein, pop singer Kesha posted a photograph of herself enjoying a Wendy’s milkshake, which was seen by insiders as stoking the controversy further.

The environmental questions surrounding the mission have added a complex layer to the discussion, especially given Perry’s previous advocacy. She has been vocal about climate change in the past, notably as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2013. A resurfaced 2015 UNICEF video shows Perry warning of the devastating impact man-made climate change has on children and vulnerable communities, marking a contrast with the criticism her participation in a high-profile rocket flight has attracted.

Gayle King, the journalist aboard the flight, was among the first to respond to critical voices. Appearing on CBS Mornings with fellow crew member Aisha Bowe, she expressed disappointment over the negative reaction. She pushed back against characterisations of their flight as a mere “ride,” emphasizing the importance and legitimacy of the “journey.” King stated, “There’s nothing frivolous about what we did,” and expressed sadness that the mission’s potential to inspire women and girls could be undermined by such criticism.

The flight’s organisers and participants continue to engage with the mixed responses, though Perry herself has yet to make a public statement addressing the backlash in detail. Instead, she has maintained her focus on promoting her upcoming Lifetimes tour, sharing updates on social media.

Overall, the Blue Origin all-female space mission remains a subject of significant public and media interest, highlighting a range of perspectives from celebration and inspiration to criticism centred on environmental, financial, and social optics.

Source: Noah Wire Services

More on this

https://abcnews.go.com/US/blue-origin-rocket-female-crew-including-katy-perry/story?id=120779187 - This article confirms the Blue Origin mission's all-female crew composition including Katy Perry, Gayle King, Lauren Sanchez, Aisha Bowe, Kerianne Flynn, and Amanda Nguyen, the historic nature of the flight, the 11-minute duration, and Perry's post-flight gestures like holding a daisy and kissing the ground.
https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-shepard-ns-31-mission - Blue Origin’s official mission page details the NS-31 flight, the crew members' professional backgrounds, the mission's symbolism, the rocket's launch from West Texas, and describes the flight as the 11th human flight with the 31st New Shepard mission.
https://www.geekwire.com/2025/blue-origin-launch-women-only-space/ - This news article covers additional mission details including the launch time from Texas, crew experiences such as the views of Earth and the moon, the scientific experiments conducted by crew members, and public reactions including Oprah Winfrey's presence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDzZGLV0siU - The Sky News video reports on the Blue Origin flight, highlighting the approximately 10-minute space trip, the celebrity crew, Perry’s emotional comments about love and the Earth, and the supportive crowd including Oprah Winfrey and the Kardashians.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/apr/15/blue-origin-all-female-spaceflight-criticism-environmental-expense - This article discusses the criticism of the Blue Origin flight’s environmental impact and expense, including the release of an ozone-depleting greenhouse gas despite low direct carbon emissions, and public debate concerning the mission's cost versus its scientific value.

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score: 9

Notes: The narrative discusses a recent Blue Origin all-female space mission launched on a Monday morning from West Texas, involving Katy Perry and others, which is a current event. References to recent astronauts and contemporary public reactions confirm topicality. No indications of recycled or outdated information were found. The presence of a direct insider quote and references to very recent events support freshness.

Quotes check

Score: 8

Notes: Several direct quotes are attributed, such as Katy Perry's post-flight interview remarks and Gayle King's CBS Mornings statements. These quotes appear to originate from recent public appearances and interviews coinciding with the mission. Some statements, like Perry's emotional responses and insider comments, seem exclusive to this narrative as no earlier sources or original transcripts were found online, indicating the potential originality of these quotes.

Source reliability

Score: 6

Notes: The narrative originates from a well-known UK tabloid publication, Daily Mail. While it is popular and widely read, Daily Mail has a mixed reputation for sensationalism and variable accuracy, especially on entertainment and celebrity topics. However, the detailed referencing of public interviews, mission facts, and context adds some reliability. The insider quote lacks independent verification, limiting full confidence.

Plausability check

Score: 9

Notes: The claims about the Blue Origin flight, crew members, and public reactions align with widely reported facts on the suborbital mission. The described actions and emotional reactions by Katy Perry are plausible, and criticisms cited correspond with public discourse trends around commercial spaceflights and celebrity participation. The environmental impact discussion reflects an ongoing scientific debate. No implausible claims or inconsistencies were detected.

Overall assessment

Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM

Summary: The narrative is timely and covers a recent, high-profile event with direct quotes and public reactions. Quotes appear original or from recent interviews, but the reliance on a tabloid source with some insider comments reduces confidence slightly. The details and claims are consistent with known facts and plausible. Thus, the story can be considered generally reliable but should be cross-referenced with more authoritative sources for full verification.

Blue Origin
space mission
female empowerment
Katy Perry
environmental concerns
public backlash