Astronaut Nguyen Says Backlash From Blue Origin Flight Caused Severe Depression
VAN HORN, Texas (AP) — Astronaut Amanda Nguyen said she suffered severe depression after facing a "tsunami of harassment" following her flight on Blue Origin's all-female NS-31 mission, according to a statement she posted on Instagram. Nguyen, a 34-year-old Vietnamese-American bioastronautics research scientist, became the first Vietnamese woman to reach space during the suborbital trip on April 14, 2025. The 11-minute flight launched from Launch Site One in Van Horn, Texas, and carried a crew of six women.
Nguyen attributed her depression to an "avalanche of misogyny" and "billions of hostile impressions" from social media and news coverage, which left her bedridden for a week and unable to speak during a call with Blue Origin staff, according to her Instagram post dated around December 23-30, 2025. The backlash stemmed from criticism of the mission's high cost, environmental impact from rocket emissions, and perceived lack of purpose amid debates on space tourism, reports from the Guardian and BBC indicated.
The NS-31 mission marked the first all-female spaceflight since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova's solo Vostok 6 trip in 1963, according to Blue Origin records. Nguyen joined pop star Katy Perry, broadcast journalist Gayle King, journalist Lauren Sánchez—who is married to Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos—Kerianne Flynn, and Aisha Bowe on the crew. The reusable New Shepard rocket reached above the 100-kilometer Karman line, defining the edge of space, before returning to Earth.
Nguyen described the harassment in her Instagram statement: "I told her [Gayle King] my depression might last for years... It amounted to billions of hostile impressions, an onslaught no human brain has evolved to endure," according to the Guardian. She added that she "did not leave Texas for a week, unable to get out of bed" and later hung up on a Blue Origin staff member "because I could not speak through my tears," the Guardian reported.
Critics targeted the mission for its resource use and environmental footprint, with some sources noting conspiracy theories and debates on space access equity, according to BBC coverage. The flight occurred amid a boom in space tourism by private companies including Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, and SpaceX, which have faced pushback over carbon emissions from launches.
Nguyen's background includes founding Rise, an organization focused on sexual assault survivors, after she paused her astronaut dreams following a university assault, according to her public biography. She received a Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 2019 and was named Time Magazine's "Woman of the Year" in 2022 for her activism.
Blue Origin has not issued an official response to Nguyen's statement, and details on her current mental health status remain unavailable, based on reports from the Guardian and BBC as of December 30, 2025. Nguyen reportedly conducted women's health experiments during the flight and carried a symbolic payload for U.S.-Vietnam reconciliation, though high-credibility sources like the BBC did not verify these specifics.
The mission drew widespread media attention for its celebrity crew and diversity milestones, including increased representation for women and minorities in space. Nguyen's flight highlighted Vietnamese and Asian-American achievements in a series of Blue Origin tourist missions that previously included Bezos and actor William Shatner.
Sources noted minor inaccuracies in some coverage, such as a Guardian caption incorrectly describing the flight as orbital, when Blue Origin confirms it was suborbital. Consensus across the BBC and Guardian aligned on core facts about Nguyen's identity, the flight details, and the backlash's emotional toll.
Nguyen's revelation underscores mental health challenges for astronauts in the social media era, paralleling NASA and European Space Agency studies on isolation and stress. It also intersects with broader industry trends, including criticisms of private space firms' "joyrides" and calls for better psychological support protocols.
The story broke in late December 2025, with no updates on Nguyen's recovery or further company actions reported.
