--- title: "Spaceflight Company Mocked for Selling Useless NFTs" description: "Not Today, Axiom Axiom Space is getting into non-fungible tokens (NFTs) — and its rollout has garnered some critical responses. With its first and only launch freshly deployed earlier in April, the spaceflight startup is clearly looking to cash in with its NFTs that were, as the company said on website and its tweet, “minted […]" date: "2022-04-18" modified: "2022-04-18" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spaceflight-mocked-nfts" categories: - "Blockchain" - "Future Society" - "NFTs" - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "axiom space" - "nfts" - "space tourism" - "the digest" --- # Spaceflight Company Mocked for Selling Useless NFTs ![]() *\Image: Axiom Space\* ## Not Today, Axiom Axiom Space has announced it's getting into non-fungible tokens (NFTs), but the spaceflight startup's rollout has garnered some critical — and hilarious — responses. With a [successful trip to the International Space Station]() under its belt, Axiom Space is now looking to cash in with NFTs that were "minted from space," according to the [company's website](). But, to paraphrase the inimitable Shania Twain, [that don't impress Twitter much](). "If you wanna sell NFTs go ahead," [one user wrote]() in response to the company's NFT announcement. "But it you don't want your clients to be called tourists, then stuff like this isn't helping." That rejoinder was referring to the fact that Axiom Space has [repeatedly attempted]() to paint the crew of space tourists it sent to the ISS earlier this month as "astronauts" conducting important scientific work, rather than wealthy businesspeople literally paying their way into orbit. "What an absolute waste," [decried another user](), who added that it was nevertheless "a brilliant way to ruin my interest in Axiom Space." Jeff Foust, a senior writer for *SpaceNews*, had an even funnier take, musing about what else "NFT" could stand for, given the context. "Newly Functional Technology? Normal Flexibility Testing? Novel Fluid Transfer?" [Foust tweeted](). "With all the emphasis Ax-1 has on research, I assume 'NFT' has to be something like that, right?" ## The Final Frontier This is unfortunately not the first collision of space and NFTs. In 2021, the US Space Force announced that it was [making virtual reality-enabled NFTs]() for some reason. Just last week, celebrity astronaut [Scott Kelly released an International Space Station-themed NFT collection]() — but to be fair, he's raising money for Ukraine. Nevertheless, many argue that it's a bad look, even for a company whose whole mission is monetizing space travel. Here are some of the more hilarious dunks and irritated gripes. ## Space Crypto https://twitter.com/sebby\_stamour/status/1516098391968735251 Be careful what you joke about... ## Burning Money https://twitter.com/Jioriku/status/1516086740511080462 Given that the guy who bought former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's first tweet as an NFT tried to sell it for $48 million and only [got a top bid of a tiny fraction of that](), this meme seems apt. ## Eff It https://twitter.com/Livingstone\_KJ/status/1516119784970194966 Well said. ## Some Good Space Art https://twitter.com/nevernorminal/status/1513525687315046404 Artist Jade Boudreaux showcased her incredible work on Twitter, noting [that she's interested in selling her art as NFTs](). If only art like Boudreaux's was what's prominent in the NFT world — instead of, you know, [gimmicky Apes]() and random animations minted onboard the ISS. **More on space tourism:** *[SpaceX Space Tourists Are Bringing a Brain-Reading Helmet to Space This Month]()* **More on NFTs:** *[Porn Star "Punishes" Man for Buying NFTs]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()