Pop icon Katy Perry made headlines after joining an all-female crew aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket. The suborbital flight lasted just 11 minutes, but its significance echoed louder: it was the first all-women space crew since the early days of human spaceflight. Perry flew alongside journalist Gayle King, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, civil rights advocate Amanda Nguyen, producer Kerianne Flynn, and pilot Lauren Sánchez.
Blue Origin hailed the flight as a breakthrough in space representation. The launch, part of the NS-31 mission, took place on April 14 and briefly breached the Kármán line – the internationally recognised edge of space.
An Emotional Journey… and Grounded Reactions
Perry wasn’t shy about expressing what the experience meant to her. She sang “What a Wonderful World” mid-flight and brought a daisy with her – a tribute to her daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom. Upon returning, she knelt and kissed the ground, a move captured in a now-viral video.
Speaking in a post-flight interview, Perry said she felt “super connected to love” and noted how the flight helped her reflect on unity, beauty, and fragility. “It gave me the perspective of how small we are and how much more love we need,” she said.
Her words struck a chord with many fans – but not all.
Experiences of Fellow Crewmembers
Journalist Gayle King described the experience as transformative. She reflected on Earth’s fragility and emphasized the importance of doing better as a global community.
Aisha Bowe, a former NASA engineer, stated that the journey was life-changing, emphasizing the importance of representation in STEM fields.
Lauren Sánchez, Jeff Bezos’ fiancée, had this to say: “It was a feeling of joy and camaraderie. It was a feeling of gratefulness. It was a feeling that we’re doing this,”.
Civil rights advocate, Amanda Nguyen, wants to conduct scientific experiment related to women’s health in microgravity
Film producer, Kerianne Flynn, viewed the mission as an opportunity to inspire her son and young people interested in space exploration.
Critics Fire Back: “It’s a Space Selfie”
Not everyone was on board. Critics, including some from major media outlets, suggested the mission felt more like a media opportunity than a scientific breakthrough. Business Insider called it a “tone-deaf marketing stunt,” suggesting it was more about celebrity branding than blazing new trails.
Others echoed the sentiment online, pointing out the irony of billion-dollar space tourism in the midst of global unrest. One particularly biting comment labelled the mission “a selfie in space – with a PR team on standby.”
Inspiration or Influence?
What’s undeniable is the contrast. On one hand, the sight of six women representing diverse backgrounds floating in zero gravity is powerful. On the other, the glitz, cameras, and carefully crafted messaging have prompted many to question if the moment’s meaning was lost to marketing.
While celebrities like Katy Perry can draw attention to space travel, the industry doesn’t need star power to legitimise its importance. The real engine behind progress is the science itself – the innovation, the data, and the bold exploration of the unknown. Instead of flooding readers with repackaged celebrity-centric headlines, media outlets should seize the opportunity to educate and inspire the public.
“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. And this combustible mixture of ignorance and power, sooner or later, is going to blow up in our faces. Who is running the science and technology in a democracy if the people don’t know anything about it?”
Carl Sagan
Still, Perry’s approach — blending personal symbolism with public spectacle — has kept the conversation alive. Whether people felt inspired or irritated, they were talking.
