Blue Origin just launched pop star Katy Perry and five other women on the first manned rocket launch without a man on board since 1963.
A New Shepard rocket lifted off with Blue Origin's NS-31 mission Monday morning (April 14), completing the company's 31st launch overall and 11th crewed suborbital spaceflight. New Shepard launched with Blue Origin's "RSS Kármán Line" space capsule, carrying Perry alongside crew members Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez, Aisha Bowe, Kerianne Flynn and Amanda Nguyen.
Liftoff occurred at 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT) from Blue Origin's Launch Site One in West Texas. The whole flight lasted about 10.5 minutes, which offered the NS-31 passengers about four minutes of weightlessness as their capsule arced above the Kármán line — the internationally recognized "boundary" of space that resides at an altitude of 62 miles (100 kilometers). Though their time in space was short, all six stepped away from the experience feeling a serene sense of awe and humble amazement. "It is the highest high, and it is surrender to the unknown, trust," Perry said after landing.
In post-landing interviews with Charissa Thompson for Blue Origin after the crew exited their space capsule, each NS-31 crew member spoke about how profound a journey the launch was, and the deeper connection they now feel to Earth and humanity.
Sánchez led the NS-31 mission. She is an author and journalist with anchor experience at several news stations, as well as the recipient of an Emmy award in 1999. She is a licensed helicopter pilot and founded the first female-owned and operated aerial film and production company. Sánchez has been engaged Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos since 2016.
Sánchez also reflected on the rocket launch of Alan Shepard — the first American to fly in space — which, like NS-31, also flew a short but impactful suborbital mission.
Amanda Nguyễn made history aboard NS-31 by becoming the first Vietnamese and Southeast Asian woman to fly to space. She is a bioastronautics research scientist with a degree from Harvard University, and a resume that includes work with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences and NASA. Nguyễn recently authored a book, "Saving Five: A Memoir of Hope," about her experience as a survivor of sexual assault, and she hopes her spaceflight can be an inspiration to other survivors striving to realize their own dreams.
Each crew member brought an assortment of small items with them to space, including individual "zero-g indicators," which are used to signal that a spacecraft has reached microgravity when they begin floating around the cabin. Nguyễn brought two zero-g indicators: a piece of paper with a promise she had written to herself after her sexual assault, and another item she said she wasn't originally sure if she would bring or not.
"It's the hospital band from the day it happened," Nguyễn said. "I got to honor her today," she added, referring to her past self.
Kerianne Flynn is a film producer known for the movies such as "This Changes Everything" (2018) and "LILLY" (2024), which showcase her passion for storytelling and community-building. Flynn has spent much of the past decade focused on her nonprofit work with The Allen-Stevenson School, The High Line, and Hudson River Park, according to her bio on Blue Origin's website.
She carried a feather to space, symbolic of Blue Origin, gifted to her by friends before her flight. "It felt so special to have it close to my heart and in space with me," she said. "I feel like it helped me take all of them with me on this journey."
Gayle King is most known for her prolific career in journalism and as co-host of the TV show "CBS Mornings." King was invited to the flight by Sánchez, which she says took her far out of her comfort zone. King has an outspoken fear of flying, and doesn't have her ears pierced for fear of the pain.
King said her fears were eased because the NS-31 crew was "set up for success."
"The training was so freaking good," King said. "It went exactly as they told us."
Every boom that you heard, the drogues coming out, the parachutes coming out. It went exactly as they said.
Gayle King
Aisha Bowe is a former NASA rocket scientist with degrees in aerospace and space systems engineering. She is CEO of STEMBoard, founded LINGO, a STEM education technology company, and is a member of the National Society of Black Engineers and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
"I picked the right dream," Bowe said after her spaceflight. "I'm ready to go back."
Finally, Katy Perry has officially lived up to her hit single, "Firework," and showed us what she's worth by literally shooting across the sky — just as she told all of us to do. The pop star was the last to be interviewed after the NS-31 capsule touchdown, and was very reticent for the spotlight of the mission to fall on her.
It is the highest high, and it is surrender to the unknown, trust.
Katy Perry
She said her spaceflight now ranks as the second most incredible experience of her lifetime — the first being the birth of her daughter. Perry said her daughter is one of the reasons she ultimately decided to join the NS-31 crew. "I wanted to model courage and worthiness and fearlessness."
As one of her personal items, Perry brought a daisy, which she held up high after exiting the New Shepard capsule. Daisy is the name of Perry's daughter.
"Daisies are common flowers, but they grow through any condition. They grow through cement, they grow through cracks, they grow through walls. They are resilient. They are powerful. They are strong. They are everywhere. Flowers are, to me, God's smile, but it's also a reminder of our beautiful Earth and the flowers here, and God's smile and the beautiful magic that is everywhere, all around us, and even in a simple daisy."
