Jeff Bezos hugs fiancée Lauren Sánchez after Blue Origin's return to earth but sceptics believe how Amazon boss opened capsule door shows mission was 'fake'. Source: Mega
A strange slip-up during Blue Origin’s space flight has ignited wild claims that the mission was staged.
Conspiracy theorists zeroed in on the New Shepard capsule’s door, which raised eyebrows when the all-female crew safely returned to Earth on Tuesday.
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos made a show of opening the capsule door with a special tool to welcome the crew — including fiancée Lauren Sánchez and pop icon Katy Perry.
But sharp-eyed viewers noticed something strange. Just minutes earlier, footage showed the door cracking open from the inside, then quickly shutting again.
Conspiracy theorists jumped on the moment, calling it “definitive proof” the mission was staged.
While no one doubts the rocket actually reached space, the suspicious door drama has fueled claims the whole event was tightly choreographed — and not as spontaneous as it seemed.
One X user didn’t hold back, writing: “I’d say this is the nail in the coffin. FAKE!”
As the video clip went viral, so did the claims that Blue Origin’s mission was nothing more than an elaborate hoax. And experts say this flight was a “perfect storm” for conspiracy theories.
Dr. Daniel Jolley, a conspiracy psychology expert at the University of Nottingham, explained: “Space is vast, complex, and mostly out of reach for everyday people. That makes it easier for some to question the official story.”
Now, skeptics who were already suspicious of the mission are pointing to the awkward door blunder as the “proof” they were waiting for.
One user didn’t mince words, claiming: “It was fake. The girls opened the door from the inside without any tools. Then they waited around for Jeff Bezos to show up and pretend to unlock it with some gadget.”
Another added fuel to the fire: “Can’t post this fake s— enough. Door opens from the inside, then they’re told to shut it because it’s supposed to only open from the outside.”
And yet another wrote: “This s— is so fake. You can clearly see the door open from the inside—then suddenly, they need a tool to open it from outside? Come on.”
The internet isn’t letting this one go—and the viral moment has only deepened the belief that the historic all-female flight wasn’t all it seemed.
Conspiracy theorists pounced on one key detail — the door. They claim a pressurized space capsule shouldn’t have an inward-opening door that passengers can open themselves.
Typically, spacecraft use outward-opening hatches that require a trained team to unlock from the outside. Just look at NASA’s recent return mission: it took engineers several minutes to open the SpaceX Crew Dragon hatch for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
In contrast, Blue Origin’s crew capsule appeared to open from the inside — raising eyebrows.
The mission itself reached 66.5 miles (107 km) above Earth, just past the Kármán Line, which marks the edge of space.
The all-female crew included Lauren Sánchez, Katy Perry, CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King, producer Kerianne Flynn, activist Amanda Nguyen, and former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe.
