Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin under fire ahead of controversial spaceflight with Katy Perry
Blue Origin is facing criticism ahead of its upcoming all-female spaceflight.
Jeff Bezos' space company already made the news last month when it was forced to delete a post of a female astronaut's first trip to space after inappropriate social media remarks.
Now, during a recent appearance on TODAY with Jenna & Friends, actress Olivia Munn called out the company for its extravagant display of wealth during a time of economic hardship in the US and the rest of the world.
Munn reportedly questioned the necessity and purpose of the 11-minute space expedition aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard vehicle.
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She also criticised the upcoming mission on 14 April, called NS-31, for what she sees as wasteful spending during a time when many people are struggling with the cost of living.
"It's so much money to go to space," Munn said, adding that all the rocket fuel can't be good for the planet. "There's a lot of people who can't even afford eggs [...] I think it's a bit gluttonous."
While flights like these won't be free, it seems the price is pretty affordable for those of fame status.
Blue Origin has not published its ticket prices or the total cost of the mission, but space tourism rival Virgin Galactic displays charges of a whopping $600,000 per seat.
NS-31 is Blue Origin’s 11th human flight using its New Shepard rocket and it’s set to be the first all-female crewed spaceflight since Valentina Tereshkova's solo spaceflight in 1963.
The crew includes several high-profile names such as artist Katy Perry, journalist Gayle King, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, research scientist Amanda Nguyen and, businesswoman Kerianne Flynn and Bezos’ fiancée, Lauren Sánchez.
Munn then pointed out that the passengers are almost only celebrity status, with only one of the members being a trained astronaut.
"Space exploration was to further our knowledge and to help mankind," Munn continued. "What are they going to do up there that has made it better for us down here?"
According to Blue Origin: "New Shepard astronauts ascend toward space at more than three times the speed of sound.
"They pass the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space 62 miles (100 km) above Earth, before unbuckling to float weightless and gaze at our planet."
While most of the trip is being framed as inspirational and symbolic, it’s not all just for show. For instance, Nguyen, who's also a civil rights activist, plans to carry out two science experiments during the flight.
One is in partnership with the Vietnamese National Space Center and another is focused on women's health.