Katy Perry to Join Historic All-Women Space Flight with Blue Origin

Katy Perry is set to launch into space alongside notable women including Lauren Sanchez, Gayle King, and Aisha Bowe, marking a significant moment in the history of human spaceflight.

Katy Perry, renowned for her chart-topping hits, will be part of an all-women crew on Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket this upcoming spring. Joining her will be an impressive lineup of prominent figures including Lauren Sanchez, fiancé of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, CBS anchor Gayle King, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights advocate Amanda Nguyen, and producer Kerianne Flynn.

This mission represents a historic milestone, being the first all-female space flight since Valentina Tereshkova's solo journey in 1963. Although Blue Origin has not specified an exact launch date, this mission is expected to occur prior to Perry's Liftimes Tour which runs from April 23 to November 11.

Perry expressed her excitement, stating, "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," as reported by Newsweek. The upcoming NS-31 mission will mark the 11th human flight aboard the New Shepard rocket, contributing to its impressive tally of transporting 52 individuals into space thus far.

The flight, which lasts approximately 11 minutes, is fully autonomous and takes its passengers past the Karman line, regarded as the boundary of outer space. Blue Origin credited Sanchez for curating this milestone mission, underscoring how it aims to inspire and empower generations by offering new perspectives on Earth.

Sanchez had initially unveiled her vision for an all-women crew during a 2023 interview with Vogue, highlighting the mission as a step towards paving opportunities for women in aerospace. This venture follows a series of celebrity space travels, including Bezos's inaugural manned mission in 2021, Michael Strahan's and William Shatner's adventures, and Richard Branson's journey aboard Virgin Galactic. Notably, while many industry leaders have made journeys into space, SpaceX's Elon Musk has yet to embark on his own trip.