LOS ANGELES, April 16: Gayle King addressed criticism surrounding her recent Blue Origin spaceflight, pushing back against claims that the mission was frivolous or wasteful. Speaking on CBS Mornings on Tuesday, April 15, King emphasized that space exploration and Earth conservation are not mutually exclusive.

"Space is not an either-or, it's a both-and. Just because you're doing something in space doesn't mean you're taking anything away from Earth," she said. "What you're doing in space is trying to make things better here on Earth."

King also highlighted Blue Origin’s long-term vision, sharing, "What Blue Origin wants to do is take the waste here and figure out a way to put it in space to make our planet cleaner. Jeff Bezos has so many ideas, and the people working there are really devoted and dedicated to making our planet a better place. That's number one."

In response to critics, King stressed the mission's significance: "There was nothing frivolous about what we do. I'm very disappointed and very saddened by the criticism." She added that the inspirational impact of the flight, especially for women and girls, should not be overlooked.

"I've had so many women and young girls reach out to me — and men too — saying, 'Wow, I never thought I could do that, but I see you doing it at this stage of your life.’”

Speaking to PEOPLE the day before, King said, “Anybody that’s criticizing it doesn’t really understand what is happening here.”

The Blue Origin NS-31 flight, which launched on Monday, lasted approximately 11 minutes and marked the company’s first all-female flight crew. Alongside King were pop star Katy Perry, rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics researcher Amanda Nguyen, philanthropist Lauren Sanchez, and film producer Kerianne Flynn. Blue Origin, founded in 2000 by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos — who is also Sanchez’s fiancé — aims to make space travel more accessible to civilians.

Blue Origin offers spaceflight opportunities to the public, with most passengers required to place a fully refundable $150,000 deposit. The company previously auctioned off its first passenger seat for $28 million in 2021, according to The New York Times. It remains unclear which passengers on the NS-31 flight were paying customers and which were invited guests.

Despite the mission's milestone, public figures have voiced skepticism about the motives and environmental impact of private space travel. Olivia Munn questioned the purpose of the launch during an April 3 appearance on Today with Jenna & Friends, saying, “What’s the point? Is it historic that you guys are going on a ride? I think it’s a bit gluttonous.”

Munn argued that true space exploration should be aimed at benefiting humanity, adding, “What are they gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here?”

Echoing her sentiment, actress and director Olivia Wilde posted a meme on Instagram mocking the flight. The image, which depicted Katy Perry kissing the ground post-landing, was captioned, “getting off a commercial flight in 2025 #BlueOrigin.” Wilde added, “Billion dollars bought some good memes, I guess.”

Model Emily Ratajkowski also weighed in via TikTok, criticizing Perry’s comments about environmental consciousness. “Saying that you care about Mother Earth, and it’s about Mother Earth, and going up in a spaceship that is built and paid for by a company that’s single-handedly destroying the planet?” she questioned. “Look at the state of the world, and think about how many resources went into putting these women into space — and for what?”

As of now, Jeff Bezos has not publicly responded to the controversy. Before liftoff, he sent the passengers off with a message of encouragement, telling them, “When you get back, I can’t wait to hear how it’s changed you. I love you all. See you soon. Godspeed,” according to NBC.