Space exploration has entered a new era, but not all space ventures are created equal. While SpaceX continues to push the boundaries of what's possible and rescues astronauts whom Joe Biden left stranded on the International Space Station (ISS), the media has been gushing over a Blue Origin publicity stunt.
Look, I’m all for private companies getting into space exploration, but we need to be honest about who is really advancing space travel and who is not. SpaceX is making tremendous strides in making space travel cheaper and more accessible, which is making space travel cool again and advancing science.
Blue Origin seems content with selling expensive tickets for glorified amusement park rides. The last time I recall Blue Origin making headlines was when it sent William Shatner into space for a brief moment. And now we’re supposed to be impressed by an all-female crew featuring a pop star. For what? These gimmicks about advancing human achievement; they’re publicity stunts.
SpaceX's achievements are genuinely revolutionary. The Polaris Dawn crew — Jared Isaacman, Scott Poteet, Sarah Gillis, and Anna Menon — have ventured farther from Earth than any humans since the Apollo missions. They're not just floating above the atmosphere and posting to social media; they're conducting real scientific research and advancing space technology. SpaceX is creating reusable boosters that can land by themselves or be caught with massive chopsticks.
In contrast, Blue Origin's latest flight exemplifies everything wrong with modern space tourism—and the media's obsession with it over actual innovation. Their recent "historic" all-female flight barely scraped the edge of space, yet it received disproportionate media attention primarily because of its celebrity passengers. But what I've noticed is that the media are more interested in designer spacesuits than actual space exploration.
The “historic” all female rocket barely even touches what is technically considered “space”
— Chloe Cole ⭐️ (@ChoooCole) April 14, 2025
On the right is Elon’s Falcon 9 orbital rocket, the booster alone goes twice as high as the Katy Perry rocket.
I’m all for women’s achievements but this is not one of them… pic.twitter.com/n4ScZ8EDCb
The numbers tell the story. While SpaceX achieves genuine orbital flight, Blue Origin offers 11-minute suborbital hops costing between $200,000 and $500,000 per seat. And what's the primary outcome? Social media content and PR opportunities. That's cute.
Katy Perry just became the first pop star to go to space!!
— Jacklyn Dallas (@NBTJacklyn) April 15, 2025
But this wasn’t just a celebrity photo op—here’s what actually happened, what it means for the future
On April 14, Katy boarded Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket with five other women—including Lauren Sánchez and Gayle… pic.twitter.com/6OLfqMjgFm
I’m sure it played well on TikTok, but let's not pretend that any meaningful research took place in that short trip.
Seriously, while there's nothing inherently wrong with space tourism, it shouldn't be confused with genuine space exploration. SpaceX is developing technology for Mars missions, deploying satellites, and advancing human spaceflight capabilities. Meanwhile, Blue Origin's flights, while technically impressive, remain largely focused on providing expensive joyrides for celebrities who can afford the ticket price. Heck, they can’t even make their vehicles look cool.
The space industry needs both innovation and public engagement. SpaceX is delivering on that front, yet because Elon Musk allies with Trump and is using his genius to help rid the government of fraud and waste, the media desperately tries to downplay the achievements of any company he owns, and Democrats pretend like SpaceX doesn’t deserve any government contracts that it gets.
But when a celebrity dons a spacesuit and writes a big check for a ticket for an 11-minute joyride, we’re supposed to be impressed?
We've lost sight of what makes space exploration truly inspiring. The future of space travel will be written by those who push technological boundaries, not those who push social media engagement. If Blue Origin thinks that sending celebrities into space is the hallmark of innovation, they really need to think again. I’ve watched a few SpaceX launches and booster touchdowns to know which company is leading us into the future.
