Vietnamese-American astronaut and civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen has revealed she suffered depression after facing what she described as a “tsunami of harassment” following Blue Origin’s all-female space flight earlier this year.
Ms Nguyen, 34, was part of the six-woman crew aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket in April 2025. The 11-minute flight — the first all-female space mission since 1963 — also included pop star Katy Perry, journalist Lauren Sánchez, US broadcaster Gayle King, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, and film producer Kerianne Flynn.
The mission attracted widespread criticism over its cost and environmental impact. Ms Nguyen said the backlash and online abuse overshadowed what she described as a historic personal and scientific achievement.
In an Instagram statement, she said the response to the flight left her unable to leave her home for weeks. “I told [Gayle King] my depression might last for years,” she wrote, adding that the public reaction amounted to “an onslaught no human brain has evolved to endure.”
Ms Nguyen said her work as a scientist, her women’s health research, and the significance of becoming the first Vietnamese woman to travel to space were “buried under an avalanche of misogyny.” She noted that the mission coincided with the 50th anniversary of the end of the US-Vietnam War and held deep personal meaning as the daughter of Vietnamese boat refugees.
Best known for her advocacy for sexual assault survivors’ rights, Ms Nguyen previously put her astronaut ambitions on hold after being raped while at university, dedicating years to campaigning for legal reform.
Eight months after the flight, she said her mental health has begun to improve and thanked supporters for helping her through the experience. Despite the backlash, she said the mission brought positive outcomes, including increased attention to her research and advocacy work and opportunities to engage with global leaders.
Blue Origin’s fully automated New Shepard rocket launched from Texas and crossed the internationally recognised boundary of space before safely returning the crew to Earth. Blue Origin is a private space company founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
