Katy Perry and Lauren Sanchez joined a six-woman crew aboard a Blue Origin flight on Monday, marking the first all-female space mission in over 60 years. The trip, which lasted about 10 minutes, included Gayle King, rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, activist Amanda Nguyen, and producer Kerianne Flynn. While some hailed the launch as a moment for women’s empowerment, many online criticized it as an elitist display cloaked in feminist branding.

Critics, including model Emily Ratajkowski, questioned the flight’s purpose and environmental cost. In a viral TikTok, Ratajkowski slammed the mission as hypocritical, saying, “You’re going up in a spaceship built and paid for by a company that is single-handedly destroying the planet.” Others on social media called the launch “wasteful,” “embarrassing,” and likened it to a billionaire’s joyride with celebrity friends.

One viral post summed up the sentiment: “Basically a rich woman wanted to take her celebrity friends to space for mimosas.” Another user wrote, “Why are we hyping up wives of billionaires going up to space for 6 minutes while people are starving?”

In response, Gayle King defended the mission, telling People magazine that critics “don’t really understand what is happening here,” emphasizing the inspiration it offers to young girls. Lauren Sanchez, who is engaged to Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, said on CBS Mornings that Blue Origin’s mission is “for the benefit of Earth” and urged people to speak with employees about the impact of the work being done.

Despite the backlash, the crew landed safely and expressed pride in the symbolic nature of their journey.