Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a clarification following widespread media coverage labeling a group of celebrities as “astronauts” after they participated in an 11-minute suborbital spaceflight aboard a Blue Origin capsule earlier this week.

The flight, launched by Blue Origin, took place in West Texas and featured six female passengers: Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez.

As The Gateway Pundit reported, the group referred to themselves as “The Six Taking Up Space” and took part in symbolic pre-flight rituals, including ringing a bell before boarding.

According to Blue Origin, this gesture was part of a broader tradition observed by astronauts in various space programs.

The passengers experienced brief weightlessness aboard the automated New Shepard spacecraft before safely returning to Earth.

✨ Weightless and limitless. pic.twitter.com/GQgHd0aw7i

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) April 14, 2025

Blue Origin later confirmed on X (formerly Twitter), “We just completed our 11th human spaceflight and the 31st flight of the New Shepard program. The astronaut crew included Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez.”

We just completed our 11th human spaceflight and the 31st flight of the New Shepard program. The astronaut crew included Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez.

To date, New Shepard has flown 58 people to space. Read more:… pic.twitter.com/Qglt1p1Wc2

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) April 14, 2025

Despite the use of the term “astronaut crew” by the company, Secretary Duffy emphasized that the individuals onboard do not meet the criteria set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for official astronaut designation.

“The U.S. commercial space industry is an inspiring project which showcases American ingenuity and exceptionalism,” Duffy said in a statement.

“But the last FAA guidelines under the Commercial Space Astronaut Wings Program were clear: Crewmembers who travel into space must have ‘demonstrated activities during flight that were essential to public safety, or contributed to human space flight safety.’”

Duffy added:

“The crew who flew to space this week on an automated flight by Blue Origin were brave and glam, but you cannot identify as an astronaut. They do not meet the FAA astronaut criteria.”

The U.S. commercial space industry is an inspiring project which showcases American ingenuity and exceptionalism. But the last FAA guidelines under the Commercial Space Astronaut Wings Program were clear: Crewmembers who travel into space must have “demonstrated activities during… https://t.co/n2DxpNh4Hy

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) April 17, 2025

The FAA’s Commercial Space Astronaut Wings Program was retired in 2021, but its final criteria are still widely referenced as a benchmark for differentiating between space tourists and qualified crew members.

This flight marked Blue Origin’s return to manned spaceflights after a hiatus, and it was the company’s 11th human flight and 31st overall mission under the New Shepard program. The flight was fully automated and did not require piloting or in-flight contributions from the passengers.