A star-studded, all-women crew will make history Monday when they blast off on Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft in a mission aimed at inspiring female space exploration.
The 11-minute flight, livestreamed for public viewing, will feature pop icon Katy Perry, CBS anchor Gayle King, and Lauren Sanchez—entrepreneur and fiancée of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos—crossing the Kármán line 62 miles above Earth to experience weightlessness in the craft’s autonomous capsule.
Perry, who told Elle she’s dreamed of this moment for two decades, hopes to “make space glam” while promoting STEM opportunities for young girls. “I’ve always been interested in astrophysics and the stars,” the singer told AP, noting that merely 11% of space travelers have been women.
The crew’s mission continues Blue Origin’s trend of high-profile launches since its 2021 debut crewed flight featuring Bezos, his brother Mark, aviation pioneer Wally Funk, and teenage passenger Oliver Daemen—a last-minute replacement for a $28 million auction winner.
The New Shepard vehicle, central to the burgeoning space tourism industry, previously carried Star Trek legend William Shatner (then the oldest space traveler at 90) and former NFL star Michael Strahan.
Monday’s launch marks the first exclusively female crew for Blue Origin, though not the company’s initial celebrity flight—a distinction held by Bezos’ own 2021 journey that kicked off commercial operations for his aerospace venture.
With no pilots aboard the automated spacecraft, the team will rely on pre-programmed systems during their brief ascent beyond Earth’s atmosphere before parachuting back to the desert landing site.
The event promises both spectacle and symbolism, arriving as private space travel gains momentum while still facing scrutiny over its multimillion-dollar price tags and carbon footprint.
