The world watched with interest as American pop star Katy Perry made history as part of an all-female crew launching into space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-31 spacecraft.
The mission took place on Monday, April 13, which marked a significant milestone as the first all-female space crew since Valentina Tereshkova’s historic solo flight in 1963.
The six-women crew included pop star Katy Perry, Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sanchez, journalist Gayle King, film producer Kerianne Flynn, former NASA scientist Aisha Bowe, and founder of a campaign group against sexual violence, Amanda Nguyen.
During their brief trip, Katy Perry reportedly sang a rendition of Louis Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World” in space and even unveiled her “Lifetimes” tour set list on camera.
The crew traveled to the edge of space. Blue Origin has shared videos of the crew floating for a short time before returning to Earth in a flight lasting around 11 minutes, according to a live broadcast by Blue Origin.
However, this mission has sparked some debate, and not everyone is convinced that the crew reached space.
Rapper Azealia Banks took to social media to express her skepticism, saying, “I don’t think they even went to space that s*** was fake af. How are they back already? It's been like 40 mins.”
I don’t think they even went to space that shit was fake af. How they back already it’s been like 40 mins https://t.co/XBcfNh4TPN
Banks’ comments are echoed by some online users who question the validity of the mission, citing the short duration of the trip as evidence, as well as the use of celebrities instead of qualified astronauts.
X user @JimmyDuuuval said: “It’s sad, these celebrities are getting a ton of attention and claiming they are breaking barriers for going on a ride. Meanwhile, we have female astronauts, and nobody knows their name.”
It's sad, these celebrities are getting a ton of attention and claiming they are breaking barriers for going on a ride.
Meanwhile, we have female astronauts and nobody knows their name.
While @BICBCI73 commented: “The trip was not even 11 full minutes. They went straight up and straight back down. A theme park ride for the rich.”
The trip was not even 11 full minutes. They went straight up and straight back down. A theme park ride for the rich.
— 🪔SoulSpace (@BICBCI73) April 14, 2025
But the criticism doesn't stop there. Banks was not the only celebrity who shared their opinion on the all-female space mission.
American model and actress Emily Ratajkowski also took to her TikTok to share her candid views, expressing her disgust at the apparent hypocrisy.
“That space mission this morning? That’s end times s***. Like, this is beyond parody,” she said, questioning the environmental impact of the mission.
“Saying that you care about Mother Earth and it’s about Mother Earth, and you’re going up in a spaceship that is built and paid for by a company that’s singlehandedly destroying the planet?”
Ratajkowski further added to the point of the mission, asking, “Look at the state of the world and think about how many resources went into putting these women into space. For what? What was the marketing there?”
@emrata ♬ original sound - Emrata
This mission is Blue Origin’s 11th sub-orbital crewed operation, which has offered space tourism experiences for several years.
While Blue Origin’s mission marks a significant milestone for female representation in space, the debate surrounding it highlights broader questions about space tourism’s value, environmental impact, and accessibility.