Katy Perry’s Blue Origin flight sparks “faked launch” conspiracy theories

Katy Perry's recent journey into space with Blue Origin is making headlines — but not just for the milestone it marked.

After the singer and five other women, including Gayle King and Lauren Sánchez, completed their brief 11-minute suborbital flight on Monday, conspiracy theorists flooded social media claiming the entire space mission was fake.

Fueling the speculation is a video showing the capsule landing in Texas. Observers pointed out that the capsule door appeared to open from the inside before being closed again, only to be theatrically reopened by Jeff Bezos using a tool. Some claimed this was suspicious, arguing that pressurized space doors shouldn’t open inward and that the rocket looked “too clean” for a craft returning from space.

Social media users questioned everything from the design of the hatch to the lack of visible reentry effects. Comments ranged from “This looks fake” to “It’s all just a distraction.”

However, experts have shut down these theories. NASA guidelines from 2023 clearly state that hatches on spacecraft are designed to be operable from both sides without tools. This suggests that any crew member, including those on the Blue Origin mission, could open the door without external help.

The mission was also live-streamed, with thousands of viewers tuning in. While some critics argue the showy post-landing door moment was staged for dramatic effect, there's no evidence the flight itself was faked.

Despite the online chatter, it's safe to say Katy Perry really did leave the planet — if only for a few minutes.