Amanda Nguyen, the feminist activist who became the first Vietnamese woman to reach the edge of space, says the aftermath of her historic Blue Origin flight plunged her into a deep depression. Nguyen flew alongside a celebrity crew in April 2025 on an 11-minute suborbital trip, which was heavily promoted as a win for gender equality in space travel.
The flight — Blue Origin’s first all-female mission and the first since 1963 — included high-profile passengers like pop star Katy Perry and journalist Lauren Sánchez. But instead of celebration, Nguyen claims she was met with what she called an “avalanche of misogyny,” prompting what she describes as an intense and ongoing mental health crisis.
Nguyen, 34, shared in a recent Instagram post that she was blindsided by the level of vitriol following the trip, saying the wave of criticism was something “no human brain has evolved to endure.” The backlash, she says, left her unable to leave her home in Texas for a week. When news anchor Gayle King called to check on her shortly after the flight, Nguyen says she could only say that her depression might last for years. A month later, she still struggled to speak through tears when contacted by a Blue Origin staff member.
While the spaceflight lasted only 11 minutes, Nguyen claims she conducted several scientific experiments on board, though specifics were not detailed. She believes her Vietnamese heritage, her parents’ background as boat refugees, and the symbolic timing of the mission — on the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War — added historical weight that was lost in the public discourse.
Nguyen also faced criticism over the cost and environmental impact of the spaceflight. Detractors slammed the mission as elitist and wasteful, and questioned the scientific value of a short suborbital trip carrying celebrities and activists.
Despite the fallout, Nguyen says she’s received overwhelming support from fans and advocates, which she credits with helping her survive the ordeal. She says the attention on her women’s health research and access to global leaders through her activism have been some of the positive outcomes of the mission, but adds that the backlash nearly eclipsed them entirely.
