An all-female crew aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket launched and safely returned to Earth on Monday morning, completing a brief 11-minute suborbital mission over West Texas.
As reported by The New York Post, the six women onboard included singer Katy Perry, Lauren Sanchez—fiancée of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos—and CBS co-host Gayle King.
NS-31 launch day is here!
➡️ Live webcast: Begins at 7 a.m. CDT
➡️ Launch window: Opens at 8:30 a.m. CDT
➡️ https://t.co/TRUdJLGeBb pic.twitter.com/U1Pqe2LthC— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) April 14, 2025
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The mission, designated NS-31, marked Blue Origin’s 11th human spaceflight and its first to carry an all-women passenger crew. The capsule reached approximately 62 miles above Earth, crossing the Kármán Line, the internationally recognized boundary of space.
The passengers experienced roughly four minutes of weightlessness before reentering the atmosphere and landing via parachute in the desert.
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Joining the three public figures on board were Amanda Nguyen, an activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee; Aisha Bowe, an aerospace engineer and former NASA employee; and Kerianne Flynn, a science communicator and mother.
The launch was held at Blue Origin’s facility near Van Horn, Texas.
REPLAY: NS-31 crew heads to the launch pad! pic.twitter.com/sxhM0VbA2j
— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) April 14, 2025
REPLAY: A New Shepard tradition pic.twitter.com/dSexRmoZl7
— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) April 14, 2025
Bezos was on site to greet the crew upon landing. As the capsule touched down, cheers erupted from onlookers, which included Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner, and Khloe Kardashian, who were present to support the flight participants.
Bezos embraced Sanchez as she exited the capsule, while Perry kissed the ground upon returning.
What an amazing crew! Great flight this morning. pic.twitter.com/4h5fNGpRRO
— Dave Limp (@davill) April 14, 2025
During the flight, Perry reportedly sang “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. “It’s not about singing my songs. It’s about us,” she said. “It’s about making space for future women and taking up space and belonging.”
Sanchez shared her reaction after the flight, saying, “I can’t put it into words. We got to see the moon!”
Gayle King added, “It’s really quiet and peaceful. It’s such a reminder about how we need to do better, be better.”
Amanda Nguyen, who has publicly discussed being a survivor of sexual assault, said the experience represented “an opportunity to heal.” Flynn celebrated by saying, “This mum went to space.”
Each passenger reportedly brought along a set of fan-sent postcards to space, a tradition of Blue Origin’s space tourism efforts. The crew also conducted small experiments as part of science partnerships for the mission.
Blue Origin has not disclosed the cost of this specific flight, though the company’s first ticketed flight in 2021 saw one seat auctioned off for $28 million. All six participants reportedly pledged to fly in full glam attire.
In interviews prior to liftoff, Sanchez and Perry emphasized their plans to bring “glam” to space, with Perry telling Elle magazine, “We are going to put the ‘ass’ in astronaut.”
Perry also shared part of her experience on her Instagram account.
This mission marks the first all-female spaceflight since 1963, when Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to travel to space.
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