Katy Perry in space: feminine prowess or marketing coup?
On Monday April 14, 2025, Katy Perry left the Earth’s atmosphere aboard the Blue Origin capsule. In just 11 minutes, the world-famous star joined a very exclusive club: that of personalities who have seen the Earth from space. But this high-profile operation – carried out with an all-female team – conceals a far more complex reality.
An all-female crew… for the first time in 60 years
The symbolism is powerful. Not since Valentina Terechkova ‘s flight in 1963 has a manned space mission been carried out exclusively by women. This time, six female passengers took their places in the New Shepard capsule: presenter Gayle King, engineer Aisha Bowe, activist Amanda Nguyen, producer Kerianne Flynn, Lauren Sánchez (partner of Jeff Bezos) and, of course, Katy Perry.
The launch from Texas went off without a hitch. At 3:30 pm (Paris time), the rocket took off on a suborbital trajectory at an altitude of 100 km. The aim was to offer a few moments of weightlessness before a parachute descent into the desert.
Genuine empowerment or calibrated storytelling?
In a post-flight interview, Gayle King recounts how Katy Perry sang What a Wonderful World in weightlessness. A scene almost too perfect not to be scripted. Katy Perry said she made the flight “for (her)daughter Daisy”, born of her union with Orlando Bloom, with the idea of “inspiring young girls to reach for the stars”.
The message is clear: the flight is intended as a tribute to feminine power, an act of symbolic transmission. However, the presence of Lauren Sánchez, future wife of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, raises questions about the real motivation behind the flight. Marketing, inspiration or media coup?
An orbital leisure activity costing $450,000 and 15 tonnes of CO2
The question of cost – both economic and ecological – tarnishes the poetry of the flight. Blue Origin refuses to reveal prices, but its competitor Virgin Galactic is offering tickets for between $250,000 and $450,000. Some passengers have been invited, others would have paid – but which ones? The vagueness is deliberate.
Worse still, according to climate experts, each Blue Origin passenger emits almost 15.5 tonnes of CO2 for a 10-minute flight. That’s the equivalent of seven round trips between Paris and Jakarta. For a company that claims to want to inspire, this is a stark figure. At a time when the planet is burning, this kind of ultra-luxurious space experiment raises major ethical questions.
A gamble against SpaceX and a showcase for the company’s image
This flight is also a message toElon Musk‘s SpaceX. Since 2021, Blue Origin has been stepping up its number of manned missions. This is the eleventh, but the first to play the diversity and emotion card to the full. It’s also a way for Bezos to reposition Blue Origin as a “human” player in space tourism.
The challenge is daunting: how to reconcile inclusion, inspiration and absolute privilege? By offering a glamorous, feminine showcase for a sector that is still elitist, Blue Origin aims to shape a new narrative around space – one that is more accessible, on the surface.
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