The NS-31 crew prior to their flight. Left to right: Lauren Sánchez, Katy Perry, Aisha Bowe, Kerianne Flynn, Gayle King, Amanda Nguyễn (Via blueorigin.com).

Last week, the world watched what should have been a powerful milestone: The NS-31 Blue Origin launch, carrying America’s first all female space crew in over 60 years. But what was meant to inspire ended up sparking major speculation.

The idea sounded promising, a self-flying rocket, a crew of women, a new chapter in space. But the excitement quickly gave way to backlash once the passenger list was revealed. Instead of feeling ground-breaking, the mission came across as a vanity project.

In my opinion, the first misstep in the Blue Origin launch’s communications was a lack of authenticity. Space travel is about pushing boundaries and celebrating human achievement. This, however, felt more focused on headlines and social media buzz than on making history.

NS-31 Astronaut Gayle King celebrates a successful mission to space (Via blueorigin.com).

There was no acknowledgement of the real women in space who have spent decades breaking barriers or most recently, Suni Williams who just spent nine months in space. 

There was no connection to the legacy of female astronauts. Ideally, Blue Origin could have honoured one of them, or invited global trailblazers in science and activism to take part.

The New Shepard booster nears touchdown during NS-29 (Via blueorigin.com)

Once the criticism began, the story quickly lost momentum. Social media labelled the launch elitist and out of touch. As a fan of many of the celebrities involved such as Katy Perry, I strongly believe they don’t deserve the personal blame they’re receiving. 

Instead, the focus should be on those responsible for the decisions, Jeff Bezos and his team, and how they misjudged the moment.

In this crisis comms scenario, Bezos missed a key opportunity to step up and acknowledge the mistake. People are quick to forgive when someone is authentic and shows a visible willingness to change.

When you’re telling a story this big, people expect it to feel real. They want to see progress, not a publicity stunt. There was so much potential to spotlight science, or to build a platform that inspires the next generation of astronauts. Blue Origin had the chance to make history. Instead, the PR misfire became the headline.

Stephanie

Stephanie Stafford is the Head of Communications at Fuzion.