Katy Perry is about to reach for the stars, literally, as she prepares for a historic journey into space aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket. The pop star, along with five other remarkable women, is set to launch on April 14, 2025, marking a significant milestone as the first all-female crew to undertake such a mission since 1963.
The crew, which includes journalist Gayle King, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, filmmaker Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez, the fiancée of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, will embark on an 11-minute flight that will take them 62 miles above Earth, crossing the Kármán line—the internationally recognized boundary of space.
In a joint interview with Elle magazine, the women reflected on the unique opportunity and the significance of their mission. Flynn expressed how groundbreaking it is for women to take on such roles, saying, "It just feels like it’s not something that women were known for doing—going to space. Moms don’t do it. And so now I have the opportunity as a female filmmaker to be part of this incredible crew, to actually go to space and bring that experience back." This sentiment was echoed by Sánchez, who added, "Guess what? Moms go to space."
Perry, who is excited about the experience, shared her daughter's enthusiasm, stating, "[My daughter] Daisy wants to go, but she wants the rocket to be pink." She emphasized her joy over the journey, noting, "I’m just so excited to see the inspiration through her eyes and the light in her eyes when she sees the rocket go and goes back to school the next day and says, ‘Mom went to space.'" Perry also remarked on her lack of nerves, saying, "I don’t have any time to be nervous; I ain’t got time to be worried."
King, on the other hand, admitted to feeling more anxious about the trip. She explained, "My kids are potty-trained and grown, but their opinion matters to me. So if either one of them had said, ‘No, I’m worried. I don’t think you should do it,’ I wouldn’t be [going]." Despite her nerves, she expressed excitement, especially since her grandson will be present at the launch in his little astronaut uniform.
The flight will be brief, lasting only about 11 minutes from liftoff to touchdown. Once the New Shepard capsule reaches space, the crew will experience approximately four minutes of weightlessness, allowing them to float around and take in breathtaking views of Earth. The launch window opens at 8:30 a.m. Central Time (9:30 a.m. Eastern Time) on April 14, and Blue Origin plans to broadcast the event live on their website.
As they prepare for the launch, each crew member is engaging in unique training routines. King is focusing on meditation to manage her anxiety, while Bowe has been intensively preparing for over a year, recently increasing her training intensity with a NASTAR simulation that mimics the experience of traveling to the edge of space. She stated, "For me, the physical preparation is really important. I want to have my body know what it feels like to go up."
In the days leading up to the launch, the women will gather at the launch site in Van Horn, Texas, for a training camp. They will be fitted for custom flight suits and participate in simulations to familiarize themselves with the capsule's interior and procedures. Blue Origin representative Sarah Knights explained, "We want them to be incredibly comfortable with every little thing, even to the point where they’re going to know exactly where each of the cameras is inside of the vehicle, so they can plan out any photos that they want to take and get really ready for what that journey will look like as they go up."
The crew is also embracing the notion of glamour in space. Sánchez remarked, "Who would not get glam before the flight?!" Nguyen added, "I think it’s so important for people to see us like that. This dichotomy of engineer and scientist, and then beauty and fashion. We contain multitudes. Women are multitudes. I’m going to be wearing lipstick." Perry chimed in, saying, "Space is going to finally be glam. Let me tell you something. If I could take glam up with me, I would do that."
This launch represents a significant moment not only for the crew but also for women in STEM fields. Bowe highlighted the importance of representation, stating, "I read a stat that there’s a huge majority of middle school girls who decide not to pursue STEM fields, although they otherwise would have been interested, because they see them as male-dominated fields. So this representation really matters."
As the world watches, the New Shepard spacecraft prepares to make history once again. This flight will be the 11th human mission for Blue Origin since its first crewed flight in July 2021, when Jeff Bezos himself took the inaugural journey. The company has since made space travel accessible to a broader audience, attracting celebrities and civilians alike.
Blue Origin has been at the forefront of commercial space travel, offering experiences that allow participants to witness the beauty of Earth from space. With each flight, they aim to inspire the next generation to dream big and pursue careers in science and technology. The excitement surrounding the upcoming launch of the all-female crew showcases not only the advancements in space travel but also the changing narrative around women in science and exploration.
As they prepare to embark on this journey, the crew of New Shepard-31 is set to break barriers and inspire millions, proving that women can indeed go to space—and do so with style.
