Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy didn’t hold back as he called out the so-called “astronaut crew” who took an 11-minute tourist ride into space this week. Despite the media frenzy surrounding this event, Duffy made it clear what these celebrity joyriders really are — not astronauts, but simply passengers.
This past week, a group of plastic surgery-obsessed celebrities and their entourages, including Gayle King, Lauren Sanchez, and Katy Perry, took a leisurely jaunt into space. These women, indulging in an extravagant adventure, dubbed themselves “The Six Taking Up Space.” They even performed a pre-flight ritual by ringing a bell, claiming it was in line with historical astronaut traditions — a move that Duffy deems an affront to real astronauts.
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REPLAY: A New Shepard tradition
The spectacle continued as their Blue Origin capsule took off.
NS-31 liftoff!
This flight, just 11 minutes long, saw the likes of Katy Perry and others floating within the capsule before their descent back to Earth.
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✨ Weightless and limitless.
The capsule made a smooth landing in West Texas, closing out the short-lived adventure.
A smooth landing in West Texas. Book your flight on New Shepard:
“We just completed our 11th human spaceflight and the 31st flight of the New Shepard program. The astronaut crew included Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez,” announced Blue Origin on social media.
We just completed our 11th human spaceflight and the 31st flight of the New Shepard program. The astronaut crew included Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez. To date, New Shepard has flown 58 people to space. Read more:…
Sean Duffy emphasized that these individuals, on an automated Blue Origin flight, do not qualify as astronauts.
“The U.S. commercial space industry is an inspiring project showcasing American ingenuity and exceptionalism. However, the FAA guidelines under the Commercial Space Astronaut Wings Program are clear: Crewmembers must demonstrate activities essential to public safety or contribute to human spaceflight safety,” stated Duffy.
“The glam crew who flew this week cannot call themselves astronauts. They do not meet the FAA astronaut criteria,” he added.
The U.S. commercial space industry is an inspiring project which showcases American ingenuity and exceptionalism. But the last FAA guidelines under the Commercial Space Astronaut Wings Program were clear: Crewmembers who travel into space must have “demonstrated activities during…
