Katy Perry kissing the ground after space trip seen as 'insult' to astronauts stuck on ISS for 9 months

VAN HORN, TEXAS: Pop star Katy Perry’s recent foray into space lasted just 11 minutes, but following her return from Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission, the 'Roar' singer knelt to the ground, kissed the desert dirt, and raised her arms in emotional triumph.

While Perry may have seen it as a joyous celebration, the internet was quick to slam it as melodramatic, and, worse, an "insult" to the astronauts who endured much longer and more perilous missions, as per the Daily Mail. 

Katy Perry slammed for kissing the ground after 11-minute spaceflight

When the Blue Origin capsule touched down in the Texas desert, Katy Perry was one of six high-profile passengers to emerge.

Instead of simply stepping out and waving to cameras, the pop icon bent over and kissed the Earth.

“I'm confused why these millionaires/billionaires were allowed to play astronaut for 10 minutes. Katy Perry kissing the ground after four minutes in space is the lamest thing I've seen in 2025,” one X (formerly Twitter) user wrote.

Others piled on, saying the moment felt like a "stunt" rather than a sincere expression of gratitude.

“Katy Perry kissing the ground after spending 4 minutes in space. I take longer showers than that,” another added.

“Big difference in space stories today: Katy Perry kisses the ground after a quick 11-min joyride with Blue Origin, while real astronauts like Sunita Williams stayed stuck on the ISS for months, doing critical work. Fact: One’s a stunt, the other’s sacrifice," a person expressed. 

One more commented, "How the two astronauts who were stuck in space for eight months watched Katy Perry kiss the ground after being in space for 10 minutes."

"Katy Perry kissing the ground after 11 minutes while we had actual astronauts stuck up there for 9 months was the best part," another person said. 

An individual remarked, "Katy Perry kissing the ground after 4 minutes in 'space' is an insult to the two astronauts that were left trapped during the last administration."

One more fumed, "There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that is inspirational about the Blue Origin flight. This was a photo op for a bunch of narcissistic women. And to see Katy Perry kiss the ground was insulting to the astronauts abandoned by Biden and rescued by Elon."

Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore were stranded aboard the International Space Station for nearly 286 days after a malfunction in Boeing's Starliner capsule extended their original eight-day mission into a nine-month ordeal.

When Williams and Wilmore finally returned to Earth on March 18, they had to be stretchered out of their capsule, appearing visibly frail and requiring IV fluids and urgent medical care.

NASA only released photos of them much later, both still with IVs in their hands.

Katy Perry’s spaceflight sparks backlash from celebs

Katy Perry wasn’t just getting heat from space enthusiasts and netizens, but also from fellow celebrities.

Model Emily Ratajkowski said, "End time s**t. Like, this is beyond parody. The thing 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 is single handedly destroying the planet."

Actress Olivia Munn also didn’t hold back, and remarked, "I know that this is probably obnoxious, but like, it’s so much money to go to space. You know, there’s a lot of people that can’t even afford eggs."

Even fast-food chain Wendy's took a cheeky jab, commenting under a photo of Perry’s ground kiss, "Can we send her back."

Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission lifted off from Van Horn, Texas, carrying a star-studded crew that included Perry, Jeff Bezos’ fiancee Lauren Sanchez, Gayle King, activist Amanda Nguyen, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, and producer Kerianne Flynn.

The New Shepard rocket carried them to 62 miles above Earth, the official edge of space, where they experienced about three minutes of weightlessness.

As the capsule descended under parachutes, the crew’s screams of excitement were audible.

When it landed, all six women exited with smiles, tears, and raised arms.

Perry also raised a daisy she brought aboard, waving it for the cameras before skipping down the steps and kissing the ground.

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