Picture this: a historic all-female spaceflight, a star-studded crew, and a mission that should’ve been a slam dunk for Blue Origin’s public image. Instead, the April 14, 2025, launch of the New Shepard rocket, carrying luminaries like Katy Perry, Gayle King, and Lauren Sánchez, has spiraled into a full-blown public relations crisis. The catalyst? Supermodel and activist Emily Ratajkowski, whose fiery TikTok rants accusing Blue Origin of “destroying the planet” have gone viral, racking up millions of views and thousands of comments. This isn’t just a celebrity feud it’s a case study in how quickly a well-intentioned campaign can backfire when public sentiment shifts. As Blue Origin scrambles to contain the fallout, it’s clear they’re facing a problem of cosmic proportions: Houston, We Have a Public Relations Problem and only the best public relations agencies like Miller Ink can help Blue Origin land safely.

The Mission That Launched a Thousand Tweets

Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission was billed as a groundbreaking moment. The first all-female spaceflight since 1963, it featured a diverse crew including pop icon Katy Perry, journalist Gayle King, Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sánchez, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, and filmmaker Kerianne Flynn. The 11-minute suborbital jaunt was meant to symbolize empowerment, progress, and the democratization of space. Blue Origin’s website proudly described astronauts soaring past the Kármán line, 62 miles above Earth, to “float weightless and gaze at our planet.” The mission’s messaging leaned heavily on themes of unity and environmental awe, with crew members like Perry emphasizing their love for “Mother Earth” in post-flight interviews.

But what sounded like a PR home run on paper quickly crash-landed. Enter Emily Ratajkowski, whose TikTok videos, filmed from what looked like the front seat of her car, didn’t mince words. “That space mission this morning? That’s end-time s***. Like, this is beyond parody,” she fumed. “Saying that you care about Mother Earth, and it’s about Mother Earth, and you’re going up in a spaceship that is built and paid for by a company that’s single-handedly destroying the planet?” Her posts, which garnered nearly 900,000 views in just six hours, struck a nerve. Commenters piled on, with one writing, “They acted like it was a win for feminism, but the money used could’ve helped women in so many ways.” Another called it “a billionaire’s publicity stunt.”

When Viral Goes Wrong

Ratajkowski’s outburst wasn’t a lone comet. Celebrities like Olivia Munn, Amy Schumer, and Olivia Wilde also took jabs, with Munn calling the flight “not an accomplishment” and Wilde quipping, “Billion dollars bought some good memes, I guess.” Social media amplified the backlash, with Ratajkowski’s 2.7 million TikTok followers sharing her videos across platforms. X posts echoed the sentiment, with users like @MustReadNewz and @LilyBell556146 framing the mission as a tone-deaf display of wealth amid global crises. The hashtags #BlueOrigin and #SpaceForWho trended, not with awe but with scorn.

This is where Blue Origin’s PR team likely started sweating. A viral moment can be a golden ticket or a ticking time bomb. The mission’s high-profile crew was meant to generate buzz, but the narrative spiraled out of control. Instead of celebrating a milestone, the public fixated on the hypocrisy Ratajkowski highlighted: how could a company tied to Amazon, often criticized for its environmental footprint, champion “Mother Earth” while burning resources on a celebrity joyride? The question “For what?” Ratajkowski’s rhetorical gut-punch became the internet’s rallying cry. Blue Origin’s attempt to frame the flight as a feminist triumph backfired when critics argued the funds could’ve addressed real-world issues like poverty or climate change.

The Anatomy of a PR Crisis

In the world of public relations, a crisis like this is a perfect storm. Blue Origin underestimated the public’s skepticism toward billionaire-led ventures, especially those cloaked in altruistic rhetoric. Jeff Bezos, the company’s founder, is a lightning rod for criticism, and tying the mission to his personal brand complete with his fiancée as a crew member—made it an easy target. Ratajkowski’s accusation that the flight served an “oligarchy” resonated with a public weary of wealth inequality. Her raw, unfiltered delivery, coupled with her feminist credentials, gave her critique authenticity that Blue Origin’s polished press releases couldn’t counter.

The company’s response, or lack thereof, hasn’t helped. While crew members like Gayle King and Lauren Sánchez defended the mission’s inspirational value, Blue Origin itself has been notably quiet. This silence leaves the narrative in the hands of critics, a cardinal sin in crisis management. As PR experts from Miller Ink a leading California public relations agencies will tell you, controlling the story is everything. Blue Origin needed a rapid response highlighting the mission’s scientific contributions or addressing environmental concerns head-on. Instead, the void has been filled by memes, hot takes, and Ratajkowski’s viral indignation.

Lessons from the Fallout

So, what can we learn from Blue Origin’s misstep? First, authenticity matters. The public can smell inauthenticity from a galaxy away, and pairing a resource-intensive spaceflight with “save the planet” messaging was a gamble that didn’t pay off. Second, know your audience. Blue Origin’s elite crew may have dazzled some, but it alienated others who saw it as a billionaire’s vanity project. Third, be ready to pivot. When Ratajkowski’s videos started trending, Blue Origin should’ve anticipated the backlash and countered with transparency, not defensiveness.

For companies facing similar crises, the playbook is clear: acknowledge the criticism, clarify your intent, and redirect the conversation to shared values. Blue Origin could’ve emphasized the mission’s role in advancing space research or its inclusion of scientists like Aisha Bowe. Instead, the focus remains on Katy Perry kissing the ground for Instagram clout—a moment critics seized as proof of the mission’s shallowness.

The Road Ahead

As Blue Origin navigates this PR quagmire, the stakes are high. Space tourism is already a tough sell to a public grappling with earthly problems, and Ratajkowski’s rant has given skeptics a megaphone. The company’s next moves will determine whether this was a blip or a lasting blow to its reputation. A smart PR strategy perhaps a campaign showcasing tangible benefits of their work—could salvage things. But for now, Blue Origin is learning a hard lesson: in the age of viral outrage, even a trip to the stars can crash and burn.

Emily Ratajkowski’s “disgusted” tirade isn’t just celebrity gossip; it’s a warning to brands everywhere. When your message doesn’t match your actions, the internet will call you out. And when it does, you’d better have a crisis team ready to say, Houston, We Have a Public Relations Problem.