While America grapples with actual Earth problems — like democracy hanging by a thread, economic inequality soaring, and our literal planet burning — Gayle King wants to know why we’re not talking about her recent 11-minute jaunt into space. 

That’s right. While we’re fighting against illegal deportation, the decline in food safety, economic turmoil, and smog, six women were floating above us on Blue Origin’s latest space tourism flex — and Gayle King’s upset that we’re not clapping harder.

On April 14, NS-31 took off from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in West Texas. It was their 11th human flight and the first to feature an all-female crew, including aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyễn, and film producer Kerianne Flynn, along with journalist Gayle King, pop star Katy Perry, and Jeff Bezos’ fiancée, Lauren Sánchez. The historic moment was mostly overshadowed by the fact that it was, well, a luxury flight and a very short one.

King, who overcame her fear of flying for the experience, reflected on her time in space, weightless for four minutes, saying: 

“You look down at the planet and you think, ‘That’s where we came from?’” she said. “To me it’s such a reminder about how we need to do better, be better.” 

Touching. But back on the ground, a lot of folks are asking why billionaires playing space Barbie with famous friends is supposed to inspire the rest of us — especially when we can barely afford rent.

Critics have called the mission tone-deaf and expensive. King, not amused by the criticism she received upon returning, clapped back at detractors on Extra saying, “Have y’all been to space?” before urging the haters to either “blast off or back off.” 

King also pointed out how male astronauts aren’t accused of “taking a ride” — some of whom are apparently her own friends — to get on a flight before judging. “I’m not going to let people steal my joy,” she said. “And these are some of my friends that are throwing shade!”

Now, to be fair, it was the first all-women crew to take a Blue Origin flight, and that’s a milestone. But slapping a pink bow on space tourism doesn’t erase the bigger issues. Like, say, the fact that we’re hurtling toward a future where space itself is the next privatized playground for the wealthy.

Let’s break that down.

NASA and other experts have already warned that Earth’s lower orbit is jam-packed with debris. We’re talking 30,000+ tracked objects—retired satellites, rocket fragments, and other high-speed space trash—all zipping around at 17,000 mph. It’s so bad that within the next 20 years, scientists say we could hit a tipping point where these objects begin to collide with each other uncontrollably, making low Earth orbit unusable. You know, the same orbit these joyrides are launched into.

But hey, Bezos & Co. promise they’re “building a road to space for the benefit of Earth.” How noble. Except that road has a toll booth, and it’s only open to billionaires and their plus-ones. Welcome to the new era of privatized exploration — where even the stars are subscription-based.

Let’s not forget how we got here. The Trump administration spent four years laying the groundwork for privatizing everything in sight — healthcare, education, prisons, national parks — and now? Space. A once-public frontier transformed into a luxury escape pod for the ultra-rich, dressed up as “scientific advancement” and sprinkled with just enough diversity to mute the noise.

King did try to position the trip as more than just a ride. “Every time a flight goes up, they get some type of information that can be used for something else,” she explained vaguely, gesturing toward Blue Origin’s goal of maybe one day “harnessing waste” and putting it in space — so we can pollute somewhere new, I guess?

So yes, while King waxes poetic about the perspective she gained, we should probably also be talking about the ever-growing space junkyard and what that means for communication, weather tracking, and even defense systems here on Earth.

King also admitted the flights aren’t financially accessible (you don’t say). A single seat was auctioned for $28 million, and the deposit alone is a cool $150,000. But, in her words, “If you get enough people who are interested, it doesn’t have to be that expensive.” Ah yes, the “group discount to space” argument.

Blue Origin’s mission statement boldly claims they’re building a “road to space for the benefit of Earth.” But let’s be honest; it’s more like an express lane for the 1%. And now, instead of just ruining the Earth, we’re aiming to litter the cosmos too. 

So, while Gayle floats on air (literally), the rest of us are stuck asking: Who gets to “do better and be better,” and who’s left cleaning up the mess on Earth and in orbit?

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