Blue Origin’s latest mission, which featured an all-female crew, has become the target of conspiracy theories despite a successful liftoff and landing from Launch Site One in West Texas on Monday, April 14 at 10 a.m. EDT.
The flight made history as the first all-women team to travel to space since 1963, when Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in orbit. Onboard were high-profile figures like pop star Katy Perry and journalist Lauren Sánchez—who also happens to be engaged to Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos.
Despite video footage documenting the journey, and moments like Perry’s enthusiastic screams during landing and Bezos tripping on the dirt in excitement, some online users are not convinced the mission was real.
Internet Detectives Spot ‘Suspicious’ Moment During Landing
As is often the case with space-related events, skeptics took to social media with claims that the mission was staged. This time, their focus zeroed in on what they believe was a blunder during the spacecraft’s return to Earth.
Their supposed smoking gun? The way the spacecraft door was opened after landing.
According to some conspiracy theorists, the capsule door appeared to be opened from the inside—something they argue shouldn’t be possible for a spacefaring vessel due to safety protocols. One viral tweet claimed, “The Blue Origin New Shepard-31 door was opened from the inside before Bezos approached with a tool to open it. Why act like it needed a special tool if they already unlocked it?”
Another user chimed in with a slowed-down clip, urging viewers to watch the door carefully in the first few seconds: “They almost messed up the fake reveal… pay attention to the door—it starts to open before Bezos arrives.”
The Internet Reacts (Of Course)
Some users even referenced Grok—Elon Musk’s AI chatbot—claiming it confirmed that the door is meant to be opened externally only. While that’s a dubious citation, it hasn’t stopped the clip from circulating widely among those already skeptical of commercial space ventures.
Still, despite the conspiracy chatter, Blue Origin’s mission remains a major milestone in spaceflight history, marking a high-profile return for the company after a hiatus, and spotlighting women in STEM and space exploration.