When an all-woman crew - with pop stars like Katy Perry on the guest list - made an 11-minute journey to space and back, it was hailed as a historic milestone for "women's empowerment” in science and exploration. 

But let's be honest: this isn't progress, it's performance. It's billionaires playing astronaut while the rest of the world burns.

And who exactly boarded this latest “empowerment mission”? 

Most of the crew weren’t even astronauts, researchers, or space professionals. 

They were celebrities and ultra-wealthy civilians—chosen more for their followings than for any contribution to science. The whole mission was packaged for PR and branded as empowerment. 

We're being fed headlines about champagne toasts in zero gravity while, back on Earth, women are losing the right to speak, choose, and live freely.

Whether it’s in Afghanistan, where the Taliban ban women’s right to education, or in the US, where freethinkers like Rumeysa Ozturk are being detained arbitrarily just for supporting the Palestinian cause.

It's a grotesque spectacle - an elite joyride masquerading as social progress. They want us to cheer, to feel awe, to call this "inspiring" - but there's nothing inspiring about a PR stunt that distracts from the deep inequality, injustice, and corruption entrenched in our everyday lives.

A sheer mockery

All this comes amid a global cost-of-living crisis. 

In the US, nearly half of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Across the UK and Europe, millions are struggling to afford heating, housing, and groceries. The World Bank reports that over 700 million people globally still live on less than $2.15 a day.

While elites float in orbit, millions are also being crushed under the weight of war, poverty, and displacement. 

Take Sudan, for example. UN recently launched a $6 billion humanitarian appeal to respond to what’s being described as the world’s largest displacement crisis. As of now, less than 10 percent of that goal has been met. Over 25 million people—half the population—need humanitarian aid. One child is dying every two hours in displacement camps. 

In Gaza, more than 10,000 women have been killed since October 2023, according to the latest figures from the health ministry. 

And the UN says that since Israel shattered the ceasefire, air strikes have killed 100 children every single day. Pregnant women and newborns are especially bearing the brunt of the ongoing Israeli attacks. 

A 49-page UN report from March details attacks on maternity wards, healthcare facilities, and an IVF clinic in Gaza, along with restrictions on food and medical supplies, which have “partially destroyed the reproductive capacity of Palestinians in Gaza”. 

But sure, let’s marvel at pop stars floating in space.

Globally, humanitarian needs are exploding. In 2024, the UN asked for $47 billion to respond to crises around the world—just to keep people alive. 

They’ve raised barely half of that. Funding cuts mean people in Gaza, Haiti, Yemen, Congo, and Afghanistan are being turned away from food lines, medical tents, and trauma care.

In this context, watching billionaires cosplay as explorers while pop stars smile for cameras is more than out of touch—it’s offensive. 

While a select few orbit the planet in designer gear, over 4.5 billion people—more than half the world—don’t have access to essential healthcare services. 

Of the rich, for the rich 

Meanwhile, global billionaire wealth surged by $2 trillion in 2024, three times faster than the previous year, adding roughly $5.7 billion a day. 

Blue Origin did not publicly disclose the cost of the flight, though its website says deposits for reserving a seat on an upcoming flight are $150,000. 

And if the first ticket sold for a Blue Origin spaceflight is any clear indication, seats likely cost millions. The winning bid of $28 million came from an auction with 7,600 registered bidders across 159 countries.

So as human suffering escalates, this lavish pursuit of space tourism starkly contrasts with the growing needs of billions on Earth. 

If we care about women’s empowerment, let’s fund maternity wards in Gaza and girls’ schools in Sudan.

And no, this isn't just "cynicism". It's context. 

If we truly want to celebrate progress, we need to stop glorifying vanity projects that cater to the ultra-wealthy and start addressing the real crises facing the majority of the world. 

These space stunts are not about pushing the boundaries of exploration—they’re about creating distractions while inequality, injustice, and suffering continue to ravage lives on Earth. 

Until we shift our focus from spectacle to real solutions, we’ll keep orbiting the same dead-end path while the world burns below.

If only the rich can afford to dream, then what kind of progress are we really celebrating?