A group of six women, including pop star Katy Perry and journalist Gayle King, will make history aboard Blue Origin’s all-female mission
A group of six women, including global music icon Katy Perry and CBS broadcaster Gayle King, are set to launch aboard a historic all-female Blue Origin spaceflight on April 14.
Blue Origin has confirmed that the New Shepard mission’s launch window will open at 9:30 a.m. EDT. During a recent interview, Lauren Sanchez remarked, “Who would not get glam before the flight?!”
The latest crewed mission from Jeff Bezos’ space company will be one for the books
These six women will become the latest group to experience a suborbital journey to the edge of space aboard New Shepard, the commercial rocket operated by Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company. Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2000, and since 2021, the company has offered short spaceflights to celebrities and private passengers.
The upcoming flight, scheduled for Monday, April 14, from Launch Site One in West Texas, marks Blue Origin’s 31st mission overall and its 11th with humans on board. However, it stands out as a significant milestone in space history.
According to the company, this will be the first all-female spaceflight since Valentina Tereshkova’s pioneering solo mission in 1963.
What we know about Blue Origin’s historic launch
The six passengers aboard mission NS-31 will ride inside a crew capsule mounted on a booster rocket. Here’s a look at the team:
- Aisha Bowe, a former NASA rocket scientist, and CEO of engineering company STEMBoard, who also founded the education platform LINGO
- Amanda Nguyen, a civil rights advocate, and bioastronautics researcher who worked on NASA missions including STS-136 and the Kepler Observatory
- Gayle King, a well-known television journalist and co-host of CBS Mornings
- Katy Perry, international pop superstar and former American Idol judge
- Kerianne Flynn, a producer known for the 2018 documentary This Changes Everything, which tackled gender inequality in Hollywood
- Lauren Sanchez, Emmy-winning journalist and fiancée of Jeff Bezos
‘Space is going to finally be glam’
The crew shared in a feature interview with Elle magazine that all six women will embrace a “glam” look for the historic flight, complete with hair and makeup.
“Who would not get glam before the flight?!” Sánchez joked.
“Space is going to finally be glam,” Perry added.
“If I could take glam up with me, I would do that,” the singer continued. “We are going to put the ‘ass’ in astronaut.”
When is Blue Origin’s New Shepard launch scheduled?
The launch window for the mission will begin at 9:30 a.m. EDT on April 14, according to Blue Origin.
As with previous flights, liftoff will take place from the company’s private Launch Site One facility, located more than 140 miles east of El Paso, Texas.
Blue Origin has announced that it will broadcast the mission live, with further streaming details expected closer to launch day.
How much does a seat on Blue Origin cost?
Blue Origin has not published exact prices for its flights, but the company requires interested passengers to submit a deposit of $150,000 through a form to secure a booking.