Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy didn’t hold back when delivering a much-needed dose of reality to the so-called “lady astronauts” from Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin spaceflight. While corporate media fawned over the crew for their brief trip to the edge of space, Duffy reminded Americans that a few minutes of weightlessness on a billionaire’s vanity project doesn't make someone a real astronaut. In an era where the left is quick to redefine achievements and hand out accolades for participation, Duffy’s blunt assessment cut through the fluff and brought the conversation back to Earth.
Following the all-female Blue Origin space flight, in which the women took only an 11-minute trip to the edge of space, Duffy delivered a brutal reality check. This was especially needed after one of the women compared themselves to astronaut Alan Shepard. Duffy pointed out that although the women were “brave and glam,” they technically do not meet the requirements to be considered astronauts.
“Crew members who travel into space must have 'demonstrated activities during flight that were essential to public safety, or contributed to human space flight safety,” Duffy wrote on X. “The crew who flew to space this week on an automated flight by Blue Origin were brave and glam, but you cannot identify as an astronaut. They do not meet the FAA astronaut criteria.”
The U.S. commercial space industry is an inspiring project which showcases American ingenuity and exceptionalism. But the last FAA guidelines under the Commercial Space Astronaut Wings Program were clear: Crewmembers who travel into space must have “demonstrated activities during… https://t.co/n2DxpNh4Hy
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) April 17, 2025
According to the FAA’s guidelines for astronauts, individuals must demonstrate activities essential to public safety or contribute to human space flight safety. This includes playing a real, operational role during the mission, not just being a passenger.
Duffy’s comments came after CBS’s Gayle King, who recently took a ride on Blue Origin, compared her brief trip to Alan Shepard, the first American to travel into space. In 1961, Shepard completed a 15-minute suborbital flight aboard the Freedom 7, and a decade later, he commanded Apollo 14, becoming the fifth—and oldest at the time—person to walk on the Moon, famously hitting two golf balls on the lunar surface.
In contrast, King’s 11-minute ride to the edge of space was, in her own words, a “bona fide flight.”