On April 14, 2025, six women traveled to launch into space aboard Blue Origin’s new Shepard Mission NS-31 rocket from West Texas at around 9 a.m. as the first all-female space flight in over 60 years.
The Blue Origin flight contained celebrities, journalists, activists, and scientists. Katy Perry was at the forefront of the star-studded flight, with Gayle King, Lauren Sanchez, Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen, and Kerianne Flynn.
Their 11-minute flight in space garnered much media attention and sparked controversy regarding the purpose and intent behind space travel, with some individuals not formally prepared or fully trained compared to true astronauts or engineers.
Space travel has progressed significantly in the last few years. Commercializing travel has allowed it to become less expensive and more frequent; however, the amount of environmental waste and harm is the same, if not more, due to the increase in flights.
After landing back on Earth, the voyage was heavily criticized for a false impression of female achievement to cover up the appearance of a simple space tourism flight.
Especially in the US, with the rising cost of goods, many basic fundamental needs are becoming too expensive for the average American. In comparison, there is a multibillion-dollar space trip, being funded by Jeff Bezos, owner of Blue Origin, lasting only 11 minutes, with a few women on board who are not professionally trained to go to space, and the conclusion resulting in no new, real exploration or increase in scientific knowledge obtained.
Funding deficits in scientific studies have led to many informative voyages and missions being cut, while, in stark contrast, Jeff Bezos is funneling billions of dollars into this project, just for there to be no new discoveries in an 11-minute trip. Around the world, there are a variety of different scientific explorations, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ocean Exploration leading a 28-day ROV expedition in deep-sea waters around Papahānaumokuākea to gain more understanding of the Earth’s seas. Many missions such as this are quite brief and usually face funding deficits and grants to continue their studies
It is disheartening to see the waste of resources and expenditures on an 11-minute “fun” flight when there are better uses for it. Additionally, privatizing space tourism and giving access to it to celebrities mirrors a dystopia that we live in and that we previously only read about. While others are worrying about their future and how they will be able to be financially stable and secure, the rich are only getting richer.
On TikTok and other social media platforms, users are bringing up conspiracy theories of whether the trip truly made it to space in the first place due to questions regarding less-protective suits, no impact from zero gravity, and the spacecraft door being able to open from the inside.
Space exploration is a privilege and a rare phenomenon that very few people have experienced until recently. Although there is now incredibly advanced technology that allows more opportunities for space travel and more in-depth missions on discovery, it’s still costly to go to space.
Although the Blue Origin female flight may not have delivered the message they wanted with its misleading advertising of female progress, it is still a step in the right direction to increase women in STEM and space. Women such as Peggy Whitson, the first Commander of the International Space Station (ISS) and first female, nonmilitary Chief of the Astronaut Office and Sunita Williams, who broke Whitson’s record for total spacewalk time as a female of 62 hours and 6 minutes, and recently returned to Earth March 2025 after a 9-month stay in the ISS demonstrate impressive achievements that empower the next generation to build upon. The important work of these women helps progress the world of space exploration and further our knowledge in STEM and technology. On the other hand, the recent Blue Origin spaceflight downplays the criticality of going to space through its superficial coverage.
As the future of humanity expands beyond Earth, it’s important to maintain a steadfast commitment to expanding our knowledge and pursuing righteous endeavors among the stars. The role models we have today influence and inspire young girls all across the globe to stay true to their ambitions and pursue difficulties and new discoveries. Blue Origin may have conveyed this to a certain extent, however, the achievements of individuals have made their mark on the world in their own way.
