Just as the Lauren Sánchez-assembled all-female crew—which included Katy Perry and Gayle King—launched into space on Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission April 14, other celebs shared their less than enthusiastic takes on the historic trip.
Amy Schumer shared a sarcastic video of herself announcing that she had received a last-minute invitation to join the mission.
“Guys, last second they added me to space and I’m going to space,” the comedian joked in an April 14 Instagram video while holding up a Black Panther toy. “I’m bringing this thing. It has no meaning to me, but it was in my bag and I was on the Subway, and I got the text and they were like, ‘Do you want to go to space?’ so I’m going to space.”
“Thank you to everyone who got me here,” Schumer added. “I’ll see you guys in space.”
Olivia Wilde, meanwhile, criticized the costly endeavor orchestrated by Jeff Bezos‘ space technology company. The Don’t Worry Darling director reposted a meme that captioned photos of Perry kissing the ground out of relief after the crew’s safe landing, “getting off a commercial flight in 2025” in reference to the numerous plane incidents over the last few months.
WIlde wrote over the meme on her Instagram Stories, “Billion dollars bought some good memes I guess.”
Instagram/Olivia Wilde
Schumer and Wilde weren’t the first celebs to speak out against the highly-anticipated Blue Origin mission, however, as Olivia Munn previously made waves when she slammed the “gluttonous” stunt.
“What are they doing?” the Your Friends & Neighbors actress said while guest co-hosting Today With Jenna & Friends April 3. “I know this probably isn’t the cool thing to say, but there are so many other things that are so important in the world right now.”
Blue Origin/Mega
“I know this is probably obnoxious,” Munn continued, “but like, it’s so much money to go to space, and there’s a lot of people who can’t even afford eggs.”
The Newsroom alum went on to question the impact that the Blue Origin mission could actually have on the human race.
“What’s the point? Is it historic that you guys are going on a ride? I think it’s a bit gluttonous,” she said. “Space exploration was to further our knowledge and to help mankind. What are they gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here?”
Keep reading for more on the star-studded Blue Origin mission…
What Is Blue Origin?
Founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos in 2000, Blue Origin is a private space company headquartered in Kent, Washington.
According to its website, the organization aims to leverage space’s resources to benefit Earth as well as expand humanity’s presence in space through increased transportation and the creation of living and working destinations in the low Earth orbit.
Blue Origin says it’s working to achieve these goals by building reusable rockets and engines to reduce the cost of space travel, make space travel more accessible to civilians and drive sustainability.
“Our vision is millions of people living and working in space,” Bezos said during a talk at the 2016 Pathfinder Awards. “We want to reduce the cost of getting into space dramatically by focusing on reusability.”
So how much does it cost to book a seat on a Blue Origin flight? While the company doesn’t list its prices on its website, it does note a $150,000 deposit is required.
Blue Origin
What Is New Shepard?
Named after astronaut Alan Shepard—who made history when he became the first American to travel to space in 1961—New Shepard is what Blue Origin describes as a “fully reusable, suborbital rocket system built for human flight.”
Six people can sit in New Shepard’s pressurized crew capsule. But don’t look for a pilot seat. Because as Blue Origin’s website notes, “The vehicle is fully autonomous—there are no pilots.”
New Shepard first launched in 2015 as part of a flight test program that consisted of 16 successful tests, which were completed in 2021.
In July of that year, Bezos and his brother Mark took part in New Shepard’s first human flight along with an auction winner that secured a seat for a whopping $28 million. William Shatner and Michael Strahan were also among the travelers to board the vehicle later that year (though they were on separate missions).
The upcoming voyage will mark New Shepard’s 31st mission (hence the name NS-31) and its 11th human flight.
Blue Origin
When and Where Is the Launch for New Shepard’s NS-31 Mission?
New Shepard’s NS-31 mission is aiming for liftoff from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One—located among the Guadalupe Mountain range in the West Texas desert—April 14, with the company’s website noting the launch window opens at 8:30 a.m. CDT.