When Amanda Nguyen boarded a Blue Origin capsule earlier this year, the moment carried layers of personal and political meaning. She became the first Vietnamese woman, and the first Southeast Asian woman, to travel to space. The mission coincided with the 50th anniversary of the end of hostilities in Vietnam.
But the 11-minute suborbital mission, funded by Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin, quickly became a flashpoint. Critics questioned the cost, the optics, and the celebrity involvement, as pop star Katy Perry, broadcaster Gayle King, and philanthropist Lauren Sánchez Bezos joined the all-female crew.
For Nguyen, a scientist and civil rights advocate, the fallout proved devastating.
‘Another Dream Turned Into A Nightmare’
In a deeply personal statement shared on Instagram, Nguyen described how the backlash spiralled into a prolonged depressive episode.
“When Gayle called to check in on me in the aftermath of the spaceflight, I told her my depression might last for years,” she wrote. “Another dream turned into a nightmare.”
Nguyen said the criticism eclipsed years of preparation and meaning. Her work in women’s health research, the experiments she conducted in space, and the symbolism of her flight as the daughter of Vietnamese boat refugees were, she said, “buried under an avalanche of misogyny.”
She described the reaction as “an onslaught no human brain has evolved to endure.”
The Personal Cost Of Public Scrutiny
The emotional toll extended beyond online commentary. Nguyen said she barely left her home in Texas for a week, unable to get out of bed. When a senior Blue Origin staff member called her a month later, she said she had to hang up because she could not speak through her tears.
“I felt like collateral damage, my moment of justice mutilated,” she wrote.
The experience underscores a growing conversation within the space industry about who gets to go to space and how public narratives can overshadow the achievements of scientists when celebrity culture enters the frame.
Science, Diplomacy, And What Still Matters
Despite the pain, Nguyen said the mission was not without meaningful impact. She noted that the flight brought global attention to her breast cancer research and helped advance her long-held goal of using science as a diplomatic bridge.
“My goal of science as a tool for diplomacy was achieved,” she said. “There has been overwhelming good that has come out of this.”
A 2019 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Nguyen added that eight months on, the “fog of grief” has begun to lift. She credited messages of support from strangers around the world for helping her recover.
‘I Kept My Promise’
Nguyen, who has previously spoken publicly about surviving sexual assault, framed her recovery in the context of resilience.
“Even through the tsunami of harassment, I was able to tell my survivor self ‘I kept my promise,’” she wrote. “I was able to tell her that millions of strangers have kindness and discernment.”
Her story adds a human dimension to the debate around high-profile space tourism, highlighting that behind every headline-grabbing launch is a person absorbing the weight of public judgement long after the capsule returns to Earth.
Published by Kerry Harrison
Kerry’s been writing professionally for over 14 years, after graduating with a First Class Honours Degree in Multimedia Journalism from Canterbury Christ Church University. She joined Orbital Today in 2022. She covers everything from UK launch updates to how the wider space ecosystem is evolving. She enjoys digging into the detail and explaining complex topics in a way that feels straightforward. Before writing about space, Kerry spent years working with cybersecurity companies. She’s written a lot about threat intelligence, data protection, and how cyber and space are increasingly overlapping, whether that’s satellite security or national defence. With a strong background in tech writing, she’s used to making tricky, technical subjects more approachable. That mix of innovation, complexity, and real-world impact is what keeps her interested in the space sector.