WEBDESK: Pop star Katy Perry is set to travel to space as part of Blue Origin’s first all-women spaceflight on the New Shepard rocket.
She will be joined by Lauren Sanchez (Jeff Bezos’s fiancée), CBS presenter Gayle King, former NASA scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn.
Historic Spaceflight
This mission will be the first all-female spaceflight since Soviet astronaut Valentina Tereshkova’s solo trip in 1963. While there’s no exact launch date yet, Blue Origin has confirmed the flight will take place this spring, likely before Katy Perry begins her Lifetimes Tour on April 23.
Katy Perry expressed her excitement, saying, “If you had told me I’d be part of the first all–female crew in space, I would have believed you. Nothing was beyond my imagination as a child.”
How the Flight Works
This mission, called NS-31, will be the 11th human spaceflight for New Shepard and its 31st launch overall. So far, Blue Origin has sent 52 people to space.
The trip will last about 11 minutes and is fully autonomous, meaning there are no pilots. Passengers will cross the Kármán line, the internationally recognised edge of space.
A Mission Led by Women
Blue Origin has Lauren Sanchez for bringing the team together. Sanchez first announced her plans for an all-women spaceflight in 2023, calling it a historic step forward for women in space exploration.
Celebrities in Space
Katy Perry’s mission adds to the growing list of famous figures who have travelled to space.
- Jeff Bezos himself was on Blue Origin’s first manned mission in 2021.
- Michael Strahan (Good Morning America host) and William Shatner (Star Trek actor) have also flown on Blue Origin rockets.
- Richard Branson (Virgin Galactic founder) went to space on his company’s spacecraft in July 2021.
This historic all-women flight is expected to be a major step forward for female astronauts and space travellers.
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