When Amanda Nguyen, a 34-year-old scientist, civil rights activist, and the founder of Rise, soared into space aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket in April 2025, she made history as the first Vietnamese woman astronaut. But what should have been a triumphant moment quickly turned into a harrowing ordeal, as Nguyen found herself at the center of a storm of criticism and harassment that left her grappling with depression for months.
The mission, officially known as NS-31, was Blue Origin’s first all-female crewed space flight since 1963. Alongside Nguyen were pop star Katy Perry, CBS Mornings host Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez (the journalist and fiancée of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos), NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, and film producer Kerianne Flynn. Their 11-minute journey, which launched from Blue Origin’s West Texas site and crossed the Kármán line—the internationally recognized boundary of space at 62 miles above Earth—was intended as a celebration of scientific achievement and female empowerment.
Yet, as reported by BBC, Daily Mail, and E! News, the flight quickly drew sharp backlash. Critics lambasted the mission for its eye-watering cost, environmental footprint, and what some saw as the crew’s “bizarre and dramatic antics” after landing. Social media was awash with conspiracy theories, some even suggesting the spaceflight was staged in a studio. The negative attention was relentless. “It amounted to billions of hostile impressions—an onslaught no human brain has evolved to endure,” Nguyen wrote in a candid Instagram statement shared on December 28, 2025.
For Nguyen, the vitriol was deeply personal. “Everything I had worked for—as a scientist, my women’s health research, the years I had trained for this moment, the experiments I operated in space, the history that was being made as the first Vietnamese woman astronaut, on the 50th anniversary of the US-Vietnam war, as the child of boat refugees, the promise I kept to my survivor self—was buried under an avalanche of misogyny,” she explained, as cited by Daily Mail.
The intensity of the backlash left Nguyen reeling. She told Gayle King, who called to check on her after the flight, “my depression might last for years.” For a week, she could not bring herself to leave Texas, unable to get out of bed. Even a month later, when a senior Blue Origin staff member reached out, she found herself unable to speak through her tears. “Publicly, it was important to me to remain strong, especially for the sponsors of my seat who made my research and dream come true,” Nguyen admitted, but privately, she was struggling to cope with the emotional toll.
Nguyen’s journey to space was about more than personal achievement. As she told ELLE in a cover story, her path had been shaped by adversity. After being sexually assaulted in college, she put her dream of becoming an astronaut on hold to campaign for the rights of survivors, drafting the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights and seeing it passed in Congress and at the United Nations. “I worked at NASA, I studied the stars—astrophysics at Harvard and MIT—but life got in the way. Gender-based violence is a big reason why so many women in STEM don’t continue on with their training, and I was one of those women,” she shared.
During the NS-31 mission, Nguyen conducted experiments related to women’s health, using the opportunity to advance research that might benefit future generations. She also carried lotus seeds to commemorate the 30th anniversary of reconciliation between the US and Vietnam, describing them as “a symbol of peace.” For Nguyen and her family—who had fled Vietnam as boat refugees—the symbolism was profound. “When Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon, bombs rained down on Vietnam. This year, when my boat refugee family looked at the sky, instead of bombs, they saw the first Vietnamese woman in space. We came on boats, and now we’re on spaceships,” she reflected, drawing a poignant connection between her family’s past and her historic flight.
The backlash to the mission, however, was swift and severe. Environmentalists questioned the carbon footprint of the flight, while others decried the expense, especially given global inequalities. Some, like actress Olivia Munn, questioned the value of the mission altogether, saying on Today with Jenna & Friends, “What’s the point? Is it historic that you guys are going on a ride? I think it’s a bit gluttonous.” Even Gayle King acknowledged the controversy surrounding billionaire Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin, telling CBS Mornings, “There have been some questions and decisions that he’s made that I’ve actually gone, ‘Huh?’ But I think in this particular case, this is so much bigger than one man and one company.”
Despite the negativity, Nguyen made a conscious decision to focus on the positive outcomes of her journey. She noted that the flight brought unprecedented media attention to her women’s health research and opened doors for her to speak with world leaders about advancing rights for rape survivors. “My goal of science as a tool for diplomacy was achieved,” she wrote. The symbolism of her flight—marking both personal and historical milestones—resonated with many, especially those from marginalized backgrounds who saw in her story a testament to resilience and hope.
After eight months of struggle, Nguyen announced on December 30, 2025, that the “fog of grief” was finally beginning to lift. “It is the greatest gift this holiday season that I can feel the fog lifting,” she wrote. “I can tell Gayle it’s not going to take years.” She credited her recovery to the support of friends, her community, and her own “survivor self.” “Vietnam saved me. My friends who continually checked in on me saved me. The love of my community saved me,” she revealed, expressing gratitude for every person who had reached out or shared what her journey meant to them.
Nguyen’s story is a stark reminder of the challenges faced by trailblazers—especially women and people of color—who break new ground in highly visible arenas. The intersection of misogyny, racism, and public scrutiny can be overwhelming, even as society celebrates progress in representation and achievement. Yet, as Nguyen’s experience shows, moments of adversity can also give rise to new opportunities for advocacy, connection, and healing.
For Amanda Nguyen, the journey to space will forever be marked by both pain and pride. Her resilience in the face of a “tsunami of harassment” has inspired many, and her commitment to using science as a tool for diplomacy and justice continues to shape her legacy. As she put it, “We never fully leave behind our past selves.” Sometimes, the greatest triumph is simply finding the strength to keep moving forward.
