Amanda Nguyen, a 34-year-old bioastronautics researcher and founder of Rise, says intense online harassment after Blue Origin's NS-31 mission pushed her into a period of depression. The NS-31 flight — Blue Origin's 11th human mission — carried six women on an approximately 11-minute suborbital trip. Nguyen, the first Vietnamese woman in space, linked the mission to her advocacy and family refugee history, and said community support helped her begin to recover.
Amanda Nguyen: Online Backlash After Blue Origin Flight Pushed Me Into Depression
Vietnamese American advocate and bioastronautics researcher Amanda Nguyen said she fell into a period of depression after intense online backlash following Blue Origin's all-women NS-31 spaceflight in April 2025. In an Instagram statement shared on Sunday, the 34-year-old described months of harassment as overwhelming and deeply personal in the weeks after the West Texas launch.
About The Mission
The NS-31 mission was Blue Origin's 11th human spaceflight and carried six women on a suborbital trip lasting roughly 11 minutes. The crew included Nguyen alongside journalist Gayle King, singer Katy Perry, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, film producer Kerianne Flynn and company executive Lauren Sánchez. The mission drew wide coverage as a milestone for women and representation in space.
Advocacy And Personal Background
Nguyen is the founder of Rise, a nonprofit she launched after surviving a sexual assault while a student at Harvard University in 2013. Her advocacy work helped secure the federal Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights, signed into law in 2016, which protects survivors' access to forensic evidence and limits criminal charges related to evidence collection. Nguyen also became the first Vietnamese woman to travel to space — a moment she described as deeply personal and connected to her family's refugee history.
"My family charted stars on their journey as refugees. They looked to the stars to guide them through to freedom," Nguyen told The Rebel Yellow ahead of the flight.
Backlash And Mental-Health Impact
Soon after the launch, Nguyen said criticism escalated across social media and shifted attention away from the mission itself. She wrote that the negative response amounted to "billions of hostile impressions, an onslaught no human brain has evolved to endure," and that she felt like "collateral damage" amid the online vitriol.
Nguyen said the volume and persistence of the harassment contributed to a period of depression in the weeks and months following the flight, making it difficult to process what had been a long-anticipated achievement. She later told Gayle King she feared her depression "might last for years." Nguyen said the emotional burden began to ease months later with support from friends and her community.
Why This Matters
Nguyen's experience highlights how public recognition and symbolic milestones can also expose individuals to intense online attack, with real consequences for mental health. Her statement underscores the risks public figures — including advocates and survivors — face when activism and visibility intersect with social-media backlash.
Reporting on Nguyen's statement was shared in The Rebel Yellow newsletter and on NextShark.
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