Was Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin Mission Fake? Conspiracy Theories Erupt After Viral Door Gaffe | Watch

Last Updated:April 18, 2025, 08:35 IST

The conspiracy theorists pointed to the landing footage that shows travellers opening the capsule's door from inside minutes before Amazon boss Jeff Bezos could wrench it open on camera.

Jeff Bezos seen standing as Lauren Sanchez comes out of the capsule | Image/Blue Origin

After the New Shepard rocket’s return to Earth, a viral clip of the door-opening incident sparked online conspiracy theories, with some claiming pop star Katy Perry’s all-women spaceflight with Blue Origin was “staged."

The conspiracy theorists pointed to the landing footage of the rocket that shows travellers opening the capsule’s door from inside minutes before its owner, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, could wrench it open on camera.

They pointed to the moment as supposed proof that the mission was “fake," arguing that, according to safety protocols and the pressurised cabin design, the rocket door should only be able to open from the outside.

Pop star Katy Perry and five other crew members, including TV host Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez—fiancee of Jeff Bezos—were launched aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket from West Texas on Monday at 9:31 a.m.

The flight marked a historic milestone as the first all-women space mission in over six decades. The rocket carried the crew just beyond the Karman Line, the internationally recognised boundary of space, before returning to Earth just 11 minutes after liftoff.

Photos released on Monday captured the crew experiencing weightlessness, with Sanchez seen smiling as her feet floated in the air.

So far, the aerospace company has not responded to the viral claim regarding the mission.

Internet Melts Down

An X user raising suspicion towards the mission, wrote: “I’d say this is the nail in the coffin. FAKE! Capsule’s hatch is designed to be opened from the outside by the recovery team after landing, as a safety measure to ensure controlled and secure egress."

Another commenter said: “It was fake. The girls open the door to begin with from the inside themselves with nothing no tools. The lady stepped up to the door and they closed the door. Then they waited a few minutes, and Jeff Bezos stepped up with some sort of tool and acted like he unlocked the latch."

Other far-fetched conspiracy theories claim that the rocket appeared “too clean" and undamaged to have actually travelled to space and returned.

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News world Was Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin Mission Fake? Conspiracy Theories Erupt After Viral Door Gaffe | Watch