Katy Perry slammed for 'ultimate insult' to NASA astronauts 'stranded in space' for 9 months amid all-female Blue Origin launch controversy
Katy Perry's reaction to returning to Earth after just an 11-minute round trip to space has seen her slammed by fans.
Blue Origin's all-women crew successfully took off at Launch Site One in west Texas just after 8.30am Central Time, on Monday (April 14), before returning 11 minutes later.
But this wasn't any regular launch as the crew onboard consisted of six high-profile women, including Perry, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, film producer Kerianne Flynn, activist Amanda Nguyễn, TV personality Gayle King, journalist and Jeff Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sánchez.
Despite how brief it was, the expedition marked the first all-female space crew since 1963. The rocket took the women more than 100km above the Earth's atmosphere, and it's safe to say that the experience had a huge effect on the women.
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Sánchez called the trip profound, while King said she came back feeling like she 'could do anything', the BBC reports.
However, the trip has received backlash from social media users and celebrities alike - with a few big names like Emily Ratajkowski and Olivia Munn criticising the purpose of the flight.
And Perry has caught some flak for the way she'd exited the rocket, with the 40-year-old 'California Gurls' hitmaker lifting a daisy to the sky, before dropping to her knees and kissing the ground.
Many people online claimed that it was 'cringe', especially in wake of NASA astronauts, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, being stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) for nine months.
In June 2024, Wilmore and Williams set off on what they thought was going to be an eight-day mission onboard the ISS, but that taster of space - almost 300 days ago - soon turned into life lived orbiting Earth.
The reason for their extended stay was due to the Boeing Starliner that they'd made their commute on experiencing a series of problems - including five helium leaks, five manoeuvring thrusters dying, and a propellant valve failing to close completely.
After nine months aboard the ISS, the two astronauts eventually made their descent back home on March 18.
Taking to Twitter, one user posted: "Imagine being one of the astronauts that were stuck in space for 9 months and then watching Katy Perry kiss the ground after 10 minutes."
Another added: "Katy Perry kissing the ground after a few minutes in space is so over the top and cringe. I’m just imagining what Butch and Suni thought when they saw this."
Someone else labelled it 'an insult', writing: "Katy Perry kissing the ground after 4 minutes in “space” is an insult to the two astronauts that were left trapped during the last administration."
However, other came to the pop star's defence online.
One person said: "They’ve called Katy Perry irrelevant since 2017, yet here we are in 2025 and every move she makes still has people pressed. She spreads love, courage & light, broke records (and gravity), and lives authentically.
"Y’all hate to see a woman succeed and be happy. Stay mad."
Another said: "I'ma be honest I totally get why Katy parry [sic] was kissing the ground after coming back from space I would be too tf."
UNILAD has contacted Katy Perry's reps for comment.
Topics: Katy Perry, Space, Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos, Twitter
Joe Yates