NASA (song)

And I said, 'I'm just going to put a fun intro on it for drag, and I'm going to be in a spacesuit with like space-Titties and I'm going to come out in a moon man suit and I'm going to lift the mask and say, 'This is one small step for woman, one giant leap for womankind.'

The Atlantic's Spencer Kornhaber wrote, "On the top-tier bop 'NASA', which evokes Grande's sonic godmother Mariah Carey without recycling her, she kindly but firmly asks a lover for a night apart.

"[6] In his review of Thank U, Next, Michael Cragg of The Guardian said of the song, "The springy, joyous NASA, which harks back to her debut, 2013's Yours Truly, takes the theme of planetary exploration and turns it into a plea for space (geddit?).

"[8] Mathew Rodriguez of Out wrote, "On this banger, Ari demands distance from a smothering loved one, but it’s also very much an ode to self-care, something everyone in Grande’s target demographic — everyone — thinks about.

While Grande's refrain of “I’m a star, I’ma need space” verges on cutesy, the delicate harmonies and airy production of “NASA” make its blown-out bass and trap drums feel weightless.

"[10] Rolling Stone said the song was "a deeply empathetic (and devastatingly catchy) ode to wanting to be alone, and letting absence make hearts grow fonder.

The beat, courtesy of producers Tommy Brown and Charles Anderson, is the standout on an album with stiff competition, based around a whistling, underwater-sounding synth.

"[11] Uproxx ranked 'NASA' at number 18 on their year-end list, saying that "more songs about self-sufficiency within relationships can only be a good thing for Ariana’s young fans, and those of still floundering through codependency issues in our thirties.