Blue Origin’s All-Female Spaceflight Faces Backlash

When the all-female spaceflight on Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin rocket launched earlier this April, it was supposed to be a headline-making celebration of women in space. 

Led by none other than Lauren Sánchez, the crew lineup read like a who's who of media and science, with Gayle King, Katy Perry, NASA aerospace pros Aisha Bowe and Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn all onboard.

But, instead of applause, the mission lit the fuse on a full-blown Blue Origin controversy that’s been impossible to ignore.

Blue Origin's All-Female Spaceflight Sparks Backlash Over Environmental Impact, Elitism, and Performative Feminism

What started as a glossy, girl-power PR moment quickly unraveled, as celebs and critics alike called out what they see as performative feminism – and even a bit of tone-deaf space tourism. 

One of the most vocal skeptics? Model and author Emily Ratajkowski, who didn’t hold back on TikTok, calling the flight “end-time s**t.” 

She slammed the mission’s Earth-loving press release, pointing out the contradiction of preaching environmental care while hopping aboard a rocket funded by Bezos, whose Amazon empire has been under fire for its ever-growing carbon footprint. 

Ratajkowski asked the question that seemed to be on a lot of people’s minds: “Look at the state of the world and think about how many resources went into putting these women into space. For what?”

Celebrity Backlash Gains Momentum

And she wasn’t alone. Olivia Munn, never one to shy away from keeping it real, weighed in on the Today show, questioning the whole point of the mission. 

“Space exploration was to further our knowledge and help mankind,” she said. “What are they gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here?” 

The timing and the price tag felt especially off to her, considering the real-world struggles people are facing – you know, like affording groceries.

Olivia Wilde joined the chorus, too, with a subtler but sharp Instagram post. After the flight, she reposted a shot of Katy Perry kissing the ground with the dry caption, “Billion dollars bought some good memes, I guess.” Ouch. 

And, of course, Amy Schumer couldn’t resist poking fun at the whole situation, joking on Instagram that she’d been “added to space last second” – delivering the kind of deadpan humor that summed up a lot of the public vibe.

Environmental Concerns and Feminist Frustrations Collide

Even beyond the celebrity backlash, the mission raised broader questions about the future of space travel, especially around environmental concerns. 

Launching rockets isn’t exactly a low-carbon affair and, with the Earth’s climate on the ropes, a trip that felt more like a flex than a scientific milestone was bound to rub people the wrong way.

Lauren Sánchez and Crew Fire Back

To be fair, the crew didn’t dodge the criticism. During a post-mission press conference, Gayle King defended the experience, suggesting that the haters “don’t really understand what’s happening here.” 

Lauren Sánchez of Blue Origin chimed in, too, highlighting the hardworking team. She said, “They put their heart and soul into this vehicle. They love their work and they love the mission and it’s a big deal for them.”

The Blue Origin Controversy Isn’t Cooling Off

But, even with that heartfelt defense, the debate over this mission isn’t going away anytime soon. From questions about its purpose, to concerns over climate hypocrisy, to the accusations of performative feminism, the Blue Origin controversy has clearly shown that not even a fancy all-women flight can orbit above the world’s problems.