Katy Perry's brief voyage to the edge of space was supposed to be a triumphant celebration of women in flight. Instead, it crash-landed into the murky world of conspiracy theories. As the Blue Origin capsule touched down after an 11-minute suborbital flight, skeptics didn’t just doubt the science—they declared the entire journey a hoax orchestrated by Hollywood elites and tech billionaires.
Out of This World or Straight Out of a Studio?
Launched on Monday from Blue Origin’s site in Van Horn, Texas, the NS-31 mission took six women, including Perry, to an altitude of 66.5 miles—technically the edge of space. They floated in microgravity for a few minutes before descending safely. While the entire event was streamed live and applauded as a milestone for female representation in private space travel, armchair experts online weren’t buying it.
From claims of poor CGI and suspiciously Hollywood-esque editing to accusations that the entire capsule was a movie prop, the internet lit up with outlandish allegations. One user labeled it “the worst CGI any fake space agency has produced,” while others honed in on Perry’s apparently “unnatural” hair behavior in zero gravity as proof that the mission was nothing but smoke and mirrors.
Door Drama: The Hatch Heard ’Round the World
Perhaps the most viral “evidence” was a clip showing the capsule’s door slightly ajar before Jeff Bezos ceremoniously opened it with a tool moments later. To the conspiratorial mind, it was a glaring inconsistency—a supposed airtight, high-pressure hatch swinging open too easily. In contrast, actual NASA missions involve teams of technicians prying hatches open with precision. Was this door gaffe just an oversight, or the unraveling of a well-scripted show?
The Phantom Hand in the Cabin
As if a flimsy door weren’t enough, some viewers claimed they spotted a plastic hand—yes, a mannequin hand—lurking inside the capsule. Social media detectives quickly suggested that this proved the footage was recycled from an earlier Blue Origin test flight featuring “Mannequin Skywalker,” a dummy used in 2017. In reality, the viral hand came from footage of that very test, not Perry’s actual mission. But in the fever dream of online conspiracies, timelines are optional.
Hair-Raising Theories and Gravity Denial
Hair, of all things, became a battleground of truth. Detractors insisted that Perry’s neatly styled mane didn’t react the way hair should in microgravity. The comparison? Veteran astronaut Suni Williams, whose wild, gravity-defying locks on the International Space Station were cited as the gold standard of anti-gravity authenticity. What these critics failed to consider: Williams spent nine months in orbit, Perry was up there for three minutes, and celebrities tend to secure their hairstyles more than space engineers.
A Satanic Ritual in the Sky?
And then came the wildest twist: the satanic panic. Conspiracy theorists claimed that the Blue Origin mission patch, worn by all six women, was laced with occult symbolism. Some insisted that when flipped, the design bore the figure of Baphomet, the goat-headed emblem often associated with satanic rituals. Perry, who rang a ceremonial bell before takeoff and briefly placed her hand on the patch, was accused of conducting a public ritual.
The theory even pulled in imagery from Perry’s own music video for E.T., in which she appears with goat legs. Never mind that the patch also featured symbols clearly representing the crew—like a microphone for Gayle King and scales of justice for Amanda Nguyen—the internet had found its devil.
Why People Want to Believe
While the claims are laughably baseless, experts say there’s a psychological pattern at play. Dr. Daniel Jolley, a psychologist at the University of Nottingham, explains that this mission hit two cultural hot zones: space exploration and celebrity. “These are both domains that have long been fertile ground for conspiracy theories,” he notes. The blend of science, spectacle, and star power is, for some, too much to believe.
A New Age of Space or the Same Old Myths?
Despite the online chaos, the NS-31 mission marked a symbolic step forward for space tourism and representation. But in a world where fact and fiction blur at the speed of a viral tweet, even a journey to the stars can’t escape the gravitational pull of conspiracy. As Katy Perry returns to Earth, she may find herself navigating an even stranger terrain—one ruled by algorithm-fed suspicion and digital folklore.
In the end, she came back from space with more than just memories—she brought back a whole new galaxy of skeptics.
Out of This World or Straight Out of a Studio?
Launched on Monday from Blue Origin’s site in Van Horn, Texas, the NS-31 mission took six women, including Perry, to an altitude of 66.5 miles—technically the edge of space. They floated in microgravity for a few minutes before descending safely. While the entire event was streamed live and applauded as a milestone for female representation in private space travel, armchair experts online weren’t buying it.
From claims of poor CGI and suspiciously Hollywood-esque editing to accusations that the entire capsule was a movie prop, the internet lit up with outlandish allegations. One user labeled it “the worst CGI any fake space agency has produced,” while others honed in on Perry’s apparently “unnatural” hair behavior in zero gravity as proof that the mission was nothing but smoke and mirrors.
Door Drama: The Hatch Heard ’Round the World
Perhaps the most viral “evidence” was a clip showing the capsule’s door slightly ajar before Jeff Bezos ceremoniously opened it with a tool moments later. To the conspiratorial mind, it was a glaring inconsistency—a supposed airtight, high-pressure hatch swinging open too easily. In contrast, actual NASA missions involve teams of technicians prying hatches open with precision. Was this door gaffe just an oversight, or the unraveling of a well-scripted show?
It was fake. The girls open the door to begin with from the inside themselves with nothing no tools. The lady stepped up to the door and they closed the door. Then they waited a few minutes, and Jeff Bezos stepped up with some sort of tool and acted like he unlocked the latch pic.twitter.com/yBRTVCjloN
— Moonmonkey (@MoonmonkeyMadre) April 15, 2025
The Phantom Hand in the Cabin
As if a flimsy door weren’t enough, some viewers claimed they spotted a plastic hand—yes, a mannequin hand—lurking inside the capsule. Social media detectives quickly suggested that this proved the footage was recycled from an earlier Blue Origin test flight featuring “Mannequin Skywalker,” a dummy used in 2017. In reality, the viral hand came from footage of that very test, not Perry’s actual mission. But in the fever dream of online conspiracies, timelines are optional.
Something is definitely wrong with the Blue Origin “Space Flight”… that Katy Perry was on
— MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) April 16, 2025
Social media users are asking, where are the re-entry burn marks? And why does that look like a fake hand?
lol this world is so crazy https://t.co/8r800Rlmwt pic.twitter.com/Tw7mSfKfDo
Hair-Raising Theories and Gravity Denial
Hair, of all things, became a battleground of truth. Detractors insisted that Perry’s neatly styled mane didn’t react the way hair should in microgravity. The comparison? Veteran astronaut Suni Williams, whose wild, gravity-defying locks on the International Space Station were cited as the gold standard of anti-gravity authenticity. What these critics failed to consider: Williams spent nine months in orbit, Perry was up there for three minutes, and celebrities tend to secure their hairstyles more than space engineers.
Why Katy Perry and the other females not tie their hair before leaving? Why it seems like a fake stunt to me? pic.twitter.com/qE7Qc5jUpc
— No Context Memes (@NoContextPoint) April 15, 2025
A Satanic Ritual in the Sky?
And then came the wildest twist: the satanic panic. Conspiracy theorists claimed that the Blue Origin mission patch, worn by all six women, was laced with occult symbolism. Some insisted that when flipped, the design bore the figure of Baphomet, the goat-headed emblem often associated with satanic rituals. Perry, who rang a ceremonial bell before takeoff and briefly placed her hand on the patch, was accused of conducting a public ritual.
The theory even pulled in imagery from Perry’s own music video for E.T., in which she appears with goat legs. Never mind that the patch also featured symbols clearly representing the crew—like a microphone for Gayle King and scales of justice for Amanda Nguyen—the internet had found its devil.
Why People Want to Believe
While the claims are laughably baseless, experts say there’s a psychological pattern at play. Dr. Daniel Jolley, a psychologist at the University of Nottingham, explains that this mission hit two cultural hot zones: space exploration and celebrity. “These are both domains that have long been fertile ground for conspiracy theories,” he notes. The blend of science, spectacle, and star power is, for some, too much to believe.
A New Age of Space or the Same Old Myths?
Despite the online chaos, the NS-31 mission marked a symbolic step forward for space tourism and representation. But in a world where fact and fiction blur at the speed of a viral tweet, even a journey to the stars can’t escape the gravitational pull of conspiracy. As Katy Perry returns to Earth, she may find herself navigating an even stranger terrain—one ruled by algorithm-fed suspicion and digital folklore.
In the end, she came back from space with more than just memories—she brought back a whole new galaxy of skeptics.
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