Two NASA astronauts are performing an all-female spacewalk today – but somewhat unsurprisingly Katy Perry is not one of them.
Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain ventured out of the International Space Station (ISS) at about 8:15am ET (13:15 BST) to complete important station upgrades.
The televised event is expected to last at least six hours – marking only the fifth all-female spacewalk in history after the first back in 2019.
And just weeks after Blue Origin’s heavily-criticised space flight, social media commentators have been poking fun at Perry, notable today by her absence.
Along with five other ladies on April 14, Perry donned her navy blue spacesuit as part of the Blue Origin NS-31 mission, which lasted less than 11 minutes.
One person on X (Twitter) said to NASA: ‘Where is Katy Perry? You guys need to have real astronauts in here…’
Another posted: ‘Great to see some actual astronauts astronauting!’ while someone else said: ‘Why aren’t yall sending the OG female astronaut, Katy Perry?’
A fourth said: ‘pardon me, i’m just tuning in… but which one is Katy Perry?’
‘I feel so connected to love’: Katy Perry clutched a daisy during the spaceflight in a tribute to her daughter, Daisy, whose father is English actor Orlando Bloom
Anne McClain (left) and Nichole Ayers (right) ventured out of the International Space Station (ISS) at about 8:15am ET (13:15 BST) Thursday to complete important station upgrades
One person jokingly said today: ‘Where is Katy Perry? You guys need to have real astronauts in here…’
Perry, known for number one hits including ‘I Kissed a Girl’ and ‘Roar’, jetted into space with five other women on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket 17 days ago.
The all-female crew also included Lauren Sanchez, the soon-to-be wife of Blue Origin boss and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
With them were film producer Kerianne Flynn, engineer Aisha Bowe, entrepreneur Amanda Nguyen and TV personality Gayle King.
Together they blasted off on the quick up-and-down tourist trip from West Texas to witness the curvature of the Earth.
But the whole trip has been widely criticised by the public and celebs including singer Lily Allen, TV presenter Miquita Oliver and actress Olivia Munn.
Perry especially was singled out for kissing the ground after leaving the Blue Origin capsule following touch down.
Perry has since stated that she regretted the ‘public spectacle’ of the event, but described herself as a ‘human piñata’ due to the criticism she’s faced.
In this image provided by NASA, astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers work outside the International Space Station during a spacewalk, Thursday, May 1, 2025
Another posted: ‘Great to see some actual astronauts astronauting!’ in reference to the Blue Origin crew’s lack of credentials
‘The OG female astronaut’: Katy Perry seems to have taken the bulk of the criticism following Blue Origin’s highly publicised mission in April
This user said: ‘Gee. REAL astronauts, how refreshing.’ The female Blue Origin crew weren’t officially astronauts
‘Which one is Katy Perry’ someone joked as Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain prepare to embark on their spacewalk
Katy Perry after being aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-31 rocket on a space short mission after taking off from Launch Site One in Van Horn, Texas, April 14
The Blue Origin NS-31 crew (L-R): Kerianne Flynn, Katy Perry, Lauren Sanchez, Aisha Bowe, Gayle King and Amanda Nguyen
The six-women crew were described by Blue Origin as astronauts, but this is not technically true, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The mission reached a maximum height of 66.5 miles (107 km), putting them just above the Karman line – a boundary used to define the start of space.
But the New Shepard spacecraft was designed to be autonomous, meaning no-one on board controlled any aspects of the flight.
This makes the women ineligible for official astronaut status – and instead, they’re technically classed as ‘space travellers’, according to the FAA.
Blue Origin crew get fully trained for flight in just two days, according to the company’s website, unlike NASA’s laborious months-long astronaut training programme.
In the space industry, there’s a great distinction between professional astronauts who spend months living and working on a space station, and the burgeoning era of space tourism where the wealthy and privileged pay big money lifechanging short trips.
Ayers and McClain fit into the former category, while Katy Perry and her fellow space travellers fit into the latter – although it’s unclear if the six women in the NS-31 mission paid for their seat.
The six-women crew were described by Blue Origin as astronauts, but this is not technically true, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
NASA astronauts work to retrieve batteries and adapter plates from an external pallet during a spacewalk to upgrade the International Space Station’s power storage capacity
NASA astronauts routinely conduct spacewalks to perform essential maintenance on their floating laboratory, the ISS.
During today’s event, McClain and Ayers – who got to the ISS in March – are moving a communications antennae and install a mounting bracket ahead of the installation of new solar panels, NASA said.
These will boost power generation capability by up to 30 per cent, increasing the station’s total available power from 160 kilowatts to up to 215 kilowatts.
They will be installed on a future spacewalk following their arrival on a SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply services mission later this year.
While this marks only the fifth all-female spacewalk, there have been more spacewalks involving women alongside men before.
Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya was the first woman to do a spacewalk, back in July 1984. Just over 20 women have done one since.
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