Featured Image Credit: Win McNamee / Staff via Getty
Much like the ‘90s saw Nintendo with Mario, PlayStation with Crash Bandicoot, and SEGA with Sonic, it seems the various space companies have their own musical mascots in 2026. Blue Origin nabbed Katy Perry for the record-breaking first all-female spaceflight, and while that caused plenty of controversy for the "Firework" singer, it's nothing compared to the backlash Nicki Minaj has faced for aligning herself with the Make America Great Again movement.
As Nicki Minaj continues her MAGA mission, she’s inadvertently become a spokesperson for SpaceX's latest launch, popping up in a live webcast for the Starship Flight 12 launch at the company's Texas Starbase facility.
Elon Musk's latest venture sees him attempt to launch the V3 Starship, which is a souped-up version of the OG that first launched in April 2023. Bringing SpaceX one step closer to a fully reusable launch vehicle, the planned May 21 launch of the V3 Starship is part of Musk's grand mission to help NASA colonize the Moon.
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We were supposed to watch history as the SpaceX webcast showed off the shiny new rocket on its shiny new pad, with Musk in attendance and Minaj sporting her own Starship tee.
Musk himself is often a man of few words, delivering recent simple praise of Jeff Bezos and a takedown of the controversial final episode of The Boys. Minaj had a little more to say, with a 10-word statement in honor of the world's richest man. Having previously thanked Elon Musk, Minaj implored her ‘Barbz’ fanbase to watch SpaceX launches and gushed: "Elon, thank you for everything you are doing for humanity."
Unfortunately for Minaj, it seems she got the lyrics to "Starship" wrong. While the 2012 song states, "Starships were meant to fly," that wasn't the case this time around. Due to an apparent issue with the next-generation rocket, SpaceX called off the launch in the last minute.
During the webcast, head of communications Dan Hout said: "We're learning about a lot about these systems as we execute them for the first time, and we're not able to basically troubleshoot all of these issues in those final seconds to get to launch."
you can tell she’s going broke https://t.co/DjJGzOlCKA
— Eren (@erenfromtargets) May 22, 2026
Having come under fire for saying she's Donald Trump's number one fan, Minaj was similarly mocked this time around when Musk shared a snippet of her unexpected cameo.
Replying to the footage, one person said: "Nicki Minaj touring Starbase is just another high-budget photo op that does absolutely nothing for scientific advancement. It’s an expensive field trip for the elite while everyone else watches."
Another added: "Why the f**k would you invite Nicki Minaj to Starbase? The relevancy is mind boggling…🤣👍."
Others were more supportive, and applauding Minaj's pivot, a third said: "Nicki at Starbase is the kind of wild timeline we all needed 😂 Her energy in that Starship shirt is pure rocket fuel."
Someone else concluded: "I love this for Nicki, she is connecting with the right people."
With the next launch window being later today (May 2022), some suggested Minaj stay in Musk's tiny house and come back for round two.
