Blue Origin is an aerospace company founded by Jeff Bezos. On April 14, 2025, the company sent an all-female crew into space. The crew was mainly made up of celebrities.
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This isn’t the first time the company has sent celebrities into space. Back in 2021, Star Trek star William Shatner was part of the crew alongside Jeff Bezos and his brother Mark, Wally Funk, and Oliver Daemen.
However, the latest space launch has caused some controversy due to the cost and impact it has on the planet. Here’s everything you need to know about the latest Blue Origin space flight.
Blue Origin’s first all-female crew
The Blue Origin crew that went into space on April 14 consisted of women only. The crew included singer Katy Perry, civil rights activist and bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen, ex-NASA engineer Aisha Bowe, film producer Kerianne Flynn, American TV personality Gayle King, and journalist and entrepreneur Lauren Sánchez, who is also Jeff Bezos' partner.
This crew marks the first all-female team to go into space since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova took a solo flight in 1963, as reported by The New York Post.
The crew member choice may seem a bit unusual, but per People, anyone can book a trip on a Blue Origin flight through the company’s reservation page. Those who want to take part are required to fill out a form with basic information.
The cost of going up to space
The exact cost of a trip into space with Bezos’ company is still not confirmed. That being said, back in 2021, the company auctioned off a seat for a space flight for $28 million, per The New York Times. Moreover, USA Today reports that in order to reserve a seat, customers must agree to a $150K deposit.
However, the company has explained that ‘it’s not about money’, and not everyone pays for their trip into space. When Shatner was part of the crew, he was invited as a guest. Moreover, for the all-female crew, it has been revealed that ‘some passengers’ flew ‘free of charge’, but Bill Kircos, the company’s spokesperson, didn’t disclose who paid and who didn’t.
Even though the exact price for Blue Origin tickets hasn’t been revealed, Virgin Galactic, a rival company, offers seats between $200,000 and $450,000, according to the Associated Press.
Blue Origin’s latest space flight faces criticism
Despite the historical moment of an all-female crew heading into space, the event has faced major criticism from other celebrities. Indeed, Olivia Munn called the project ‘gluttonous’ during an episode of Today With Jenna and Friends.
She explained that there are ‘so many other things that are so important in the world right now’ and questioned what the women were ‘gonna do up in space’. She added that if they want to go into space, why make such a big deal about it?
If you wanna go to space, why do you need to tell us about it, you know? It’s just like, go up there, have a good time, come on down.
Model Emily Ratajkowski also criticised the space flight, due to the impact it has on ‘Mother Earth’. She took to TikTok to share her thoughts:
This is beyond parody. That you care about Mother Earth and it’s about Mother Earth, and you’re going up in a spaceship that is built and paid for by a company that’s single-handedly destroying the planet?
@emrata♬ original sound - Emrata
Gayle King and Lauren Sánchez hit back against those criticising them. Sánchez invited those criticising to come and look at the work being done.
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.
King, on the other hand, talked about the impact this will have on young women and what it represents:
Anybody that’s criticising it doesn’t really understand what is happening here. We can all speak to the response we’re getting from young women, from young girls, about what this represents.
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Sources used:
People: ‘What Is the Cost of a Blue Origin Flight? Here's How Much a Trip to Space Could Set You Back’
The New York Times: ‘How much does a ticket to space on New Shepard cost? Blue Origin isn’t saying.’
Associated Press: ‘Virgin Galactic’s first space tourists finally soar, an Olympian and a mother-daughter duo’
The New York Post: ‘Gayle King, Lauren Sanchez clap back at critics over Blue Origin mission: ‘I get really fired up’
