Controversy has erupted as conspiracy theorists target Blue Origin’s historic all-women space mission, claiming it was staged. The mission launched successfully on Monday, April 14, from Launch Site One in West Texas at 10 a.m. EDT.
This flight marks the first all-women crewed mission to space since 1963, when Valentina Tereshkova orbited solo for the Soviet Union.
The crew included Perry, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, documentary producer Kerianne Flynn, bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyễn, and author/journalist Lauren Sánchez, who is engaged to Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos.
Video footage shows the crew floating in space for a brief four minutes, along with scenes like Perry excitedly screaming upon landing and Bezos humorously face-planting into the dirt.
Despite the successful mission, conspiracy theorists are skeptical, focusing online discussions on the possibility of the event being staged.
A Twitter user claimed: “The Blue Origin Ladies’ Flight was FAKE!”
Another pointed out: “Annnnnddd.. • No flight suits • No helmets • No video of them before or during launch. And many more things that show this was fake.”
A third user noted: “There’s another video before Bezos opens the door. The door was opened from inside by one of the fake astronauts. A lady walks over and quickly tells them to close it.”
This sentiment was shared by others, with one adding: “There is a video prior to him opening it where they opened the door from the inside earlier and had a ‘not yet’ moment.”
Some even speculated further, suggesting: “Maybe it goes deeper, and ‘the crew’ really thinks they went to space but it was simulated!”
Others argued the mission’s significance, stating: “It’s not fake. It’s just not a big deal. It’s Bezos company. His trophy wife got first dibs and brought her Hollywood clout friends.
“It’s not like they piloted something. They were glorified cargo, on 1950s technology, and they went to the mesosphere… not space.”
Sánchez, however, strongly disagrees with these criticisms, expressing how such comments get her ‘really fired up’.
Some celebrities have also criticized the mission, with Olivia Munn calling it ‘gluttonous’.
Sánchez, who played a key role in organizing the mission, responded: “I would love to have them come to Blue Origin and see the thousands of employees that don’t just work here but 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.”
Before the mission, Sánchez told Elle about the importance of having an all-women crew consisting of ‘storytellers in their own right’.
Perry emphasized the mission’s potential to make space ‘glam’ and ‘inspire’ a new generation, including her daughter Daisy, to ‘never have limits on [their] dreams and show [them] that any type of person can reach their dreams no matter your background, your ethnicity, your economic situation, or your education level’.
Nguyễn added: “I think it’s so important for people to see us like that. This dichotomy of engineer and scientist, and then beauty and fashion. We contain multitudes. Women are multitudes.”