Women in space: beyond PR stunts, is it a step forward for the planet?

You’re unlikely to have missed the debates — from global talk shows to impact influencer posts on LinkedIn. The BlueOrigin flight, which featured celebrities like Katy Perry and US morning news host Gayle King, was pitched as historic: the first all-female commercial mission to space.

But Blue Origin’s approach raised eyebrows. GeekWire journalist Aaron Cohen called the launch a “Jupiter-sized faceplant,” while Guardian columnist Moira Donafan criticised celebrities for taking up most of the seats, rather than experts who had dedicated their lives to research. She argued the women had leaned on "girlish silliness" to promote the mission – hair and makeup tips included.

"Let's be real"

In Europe’s impact and deeptech circles, the response has perhaps been more measured – though no less critical. As femtech advocate Malin Frithiofsson posted on LinkedIn, "Let’s be real: if Jeff Bezos offered me a ticket to space, I wouldn’t say no."

Speaking to Impact Loop, the Daya Ventures CEO elaborated that the issue wasn’t the women chosen for the flight, but the power structures that still require a billionaire’s blessing for women to access space. "They shouldn’t need permission," she said.

If Jeff Bezos offered me a ticket to space, I wouldn’t say no

Frithiofsson points out that the flight also arrived at a sensitive time for women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). NASA has recently laid off prominent female staff and removed them from public-facing information materials. And with the US government reportedly reviewing further mass layoffs across agencies – including NASA – many are questioning how much real progress is being made.

No billionaires required

It’s this backdrop that made the Women in Tech festival in Stockholm this week feel all the more urgent. Held just a few days after Blue Origin’s return to earth, the event reminded attendees that Europe can, and should celebrate that a host of women are already leading the way in space tech — no billionaires required.

Under the theme Space to Play – picked coincidentally and months ahead of the event – speakers included Shorena Tsindeliani, CEO of Hydromars, a Swedish deeptech company developing sustainable life-support systems for space, including closed-loop water recycling.

Space podcast producer Susanna Lewenhaupt shared how she works with schools to inspire future space scientists, while Frida Callabrero recounted her journey from a struggling student in the vulnerable Stockholm suburb of Botkyrka, to becoming CEO of SAATC, Sweden’s training centre for analogue astronauts (who participate in simulated missions).

"Not negative about this"

Still, opinions on Bezos’ space mission varied even among this community. “I am honestly not negative about this,” Tsindeliani told Impact Loop after her session. “This [flight] has attracted a lot of interest and information [sharing] about space.” The idea that “even pop stars can go to space” might, she said, encourage the public to see space travel as more accessible — and something they might also be able to experience in their lifetimes.

“Or course you can have opinions about who does it and under which circumstances. But if you take a step backwards and look at the overall situation, this is … positive news in a wider sense,” added delegate Niklas Jakobsson, managing director at Dell Technologies in Sweden. “A sign that people want to be at the forefront of technology and advancement more than anything else.”

Lewenhaupt, who produces the show Have we gone to Mars yet? “ was less convinced: “It didn't feel like a genuine project to promote women in space or women in general. It was more like a publicity stunt,” she told Impact Loop. “I also think it's a bit of a waste of resources, so I'm not impressed.”

Greenwashing – or a genuinely new frontier?

Critics have also raised environmental concerns about Blue Origin and other commercial space missions. Though Blue Origin claims its flights only emit water vapour, researchers have warned that rocket launches — regardless of fuel type — can impact the stratosphere, accelerate ozone depletion, and contribute to cloud formation that disrupts climate patterns.

But spacetech’s defenders argue that dismissing all space travel as an unnecessary polluter misses the point.

Tsindeliani argues the space sector is also a vehicle for innovations that can actually help tackle climate change, and is — like many industries today — looking closely at ways to cut its carbon footprint.

She says the European Union is investing in self-decommissioning satellites and reusable rockets, helping reduce debris and emissions. “The cost per kilo to launch is falling, which means we can now test far more innovations,” the entrepreneur explains.

Hydromars is also already applying space technologies in terrestrial contexts — their circular water system, designed for long-duration missions, is being trialled on submarines and in Antarctica, where waste discharge isn’t possible and water must be recycled.

Space for impact

Meanwhile, research on insulation, water filtration, and energy efficiency — all driven by space missions – continues to inform innovation back on earth. European Space Agency spin-offs have led to the development of infrared ear thermometers, enriched baby formula, and even new prosthetics.

As British astronaut Tim Peake highlighted at COP26, space data is also indispensable for monitoring the earth’s climate – from deforestation and crop stress to ice melt and ocean temperatures.

Lewenhaupt also believes this so-called “trickle-down” is where the real impact lies. “By [potentially] going to Mars, we can drive the technology sector and innovation, so that things are developed that will help us here,” she tells Impact Loop.

A sector in search of definition

Still, the question of whether spacetech should be labelled an “impact” sector is far from settled.

“There’s a risk that everything can be an ‘impact’ startup or an innovation, with just a few tweaks of creative writing,” Frithiofsson tells Impact Loop. “We need clearer boundaries — otherwise the term loses meaning.”

But she is also quick to defend the role of aspiration in shaping progress. “If we only focus on putting out fires on earth… we’ll always be playing catch-up,” she argues. In other words, by investing in space tech, this could help researchers get ahead of solving potential future challenges on earth.

“I think it's also important [that] we're in a time right now that feels very dystopic. And space still has these, you know, connotations of hope,” she adds.

So, is this really progress?

It’s clear that behind the noise of the Bezos project, Europe’s space innovators are quietly working on real solutions – circular water systems, sustainable satellites, and educational outreach. And whatever your definition of impact, these definitely sound like stories worth following.

Maybe the Blue Origin media storm can, albeit indirectly, help shift the spotlight onto the women actually moving the needle in space tech.