Blue Origin sends celebrity-packed crew into space on tourism rocket launch

An all-female crew launched into space aboard Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin rocket on Monday, as reported by The Guardian. The 11-minute journey carried six women to the edge of space, including CBS anchor Gayle King, pop star Katy Perry, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, activist Amanda Nguyen, film producer Keri Anne Flynn, and Lauren Sanchez, who is engaged to Bezos. Despite Blue Origin promoting the trip as inspirational for young girls interested in STEM careers, critics questioned whether the heavily marketed celebrity tourism truly advanced women's place in space exploration.

This flight represented what The New York Times called "one giant stunt for womankind," suggesting that the mission proved women can now participate in "capitalism's most extravagant spoils" alongside wealthy men. While Blue Origin promoted this as the first all-woman spaceflight since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova's groundbreaking solo mission in 1963, the Times pointed out a crucial difference: Tereshkova spent three days circling Earth 48 times, while the Blue Origin passengers simply experienced a brief suborbital flight. The New York Times emphasized that over 100 professional female astronauts have traveled to space since Sally Ride became the first American woman to do so in 1983.  

Elaine Hyde, of the previous Blue Origin crew NS-30 praised the launch as a solid step forward  in expanding the accessibility of space for everyone.  "Blue Origin has shown yet again that they can send humans to space with incredible precision. The ride is luxurious, comfortable and safe. The movements of the vehicle as it ascends and descends are deliberate and controlled. I can't wait to see more crews go up. I definitely want to get back up to space as soon as I am done processing my own flight. For those of us who sign up for this, our lives are put on hold for the flight and there is a lot to process. The real stars of the show are the Blue Origin team who work tirelessly to make these flights possible for ordinary people."

The BBC coverage described how quickly the journey concluded, with the women experiencing zero gravity, seeing the moon, and even hearing Perry sing "What A Wonderful World" before landing back in Texas. According to the BBC, the crew members expressed awe at their experience, with Sanchez noting that "Earth looked so quiet" and Flynn calling it the "most incredible experience" of her life. 

The BBC reported that spectators including Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner, Khloé Kardashian, and Perry's daughter Daisy watched as the rocket disappeared into the sky. Questions about accessibility were raised by the BBC, specifically whether space travel could eventually become as common as air travel. When asked about this concern, Sanchez, whose relationship to Blue Origin founder Bezos was noted by the BBC, responded that the company was "building the road to space," suggesting future expansion of access beyond the wealthy and well-connected. The BBC contrasted this brief journey with Tereshkova's historic 1963 flight, emphasizing the difference between the three-day orbital mission of the Soviet pioneer and the experience of the Blue Origin passengers.