Pop star Katy Perry and news anchor Gayle King are among six women who will be heading into space aboard Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin flight, along with Bezos’ fiancée and Emmy-winning journalist Lauren Sánchez. This new group will be the first all-female flight crew to venture into space in over 60 years.
The last time an all-female flight crew traveled to space was Valentina Tereshkova’s solo spaceflight in 1963. Former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen and film producer Kerianne Flynn will also join Perry, King and Sanchez.
Sánchez, who is also a pilot, was responsible for coordinating the mission. According to a statement from Blue Origin, “She is honored to lead a team of explorers on a mission that will challenge their perspectives of Earth, empower them to share their own stories, and create lasting impact that will inspire generations to come.”
About the NS-31 mission
Expected to take off in the spring, the mission, known as NS-31, will be the 11th human flight for the New Shepard vehicle. Blue Origin has taken more than two dozen people to space since it began in 2000. Those aboard New Shepard are taken past the Kármán line, an area 62 miles about Earth’s surface, which is the internationally accepted boundary at which Earth’s atmosphere ends, and outer space begins.
How much does a Blue Origin ticket cost?
Passengers on one of the Blue Origin missions have to pay a pretty penny to secure a seat. All potential crew members need to pay a refundable deposit of $150,000 but there isn’t a known exact price for the ticket. Reports have speculated they could cost up to $200,000, while an anonymous bidder paid a whopping $28 million for the first ticket ever sold in 2021.
Meet the women going to space
While you may know Katy Perry and Gayle King from their public careers, get to know each of the members getting ready to take off to space. While Perry is thrilled to join the crew, a press release says she “hopes her journey encourages her daughter and others to reach for the stars, literally and figuratively.” Meanwhile, King is excited to step outside her comfort zone.
Aisha Bowe is not only a former rocket scientist, but she is an entrepreneur and a global STEM advocate. Blue Origin says Bowe “hopes her journey from community college to space will inspire young people in the Bahamas and around the world to pursue their dreams,” as she is of Bahamian heritage.
Amanda Nguyen is making waves as the first Vietnamese and Southeast Asian female astronaut, who graduated from Harvard. Nguyen was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and awarded TIME’s Woman of the Year for her work and advocacy of sexual violence survivors. “Amanda’s flight is a symbol of reconciliation between the United States and Vietnam, and will highlight science as a tool for peace,” according to Blue Origin.
Kerianne Flynn is not only a film producer, but she has also done much nonprofit work with The Allen-Stevenson School, The High Line and Hudson River Park. Flynn hopes to inspire her son Dex with her mission, as well as “the next generation of dreamers to reach for the stars.”
Lauren Sánchez is an NYT bestselling author and the Vice Chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, which has the goal to inspire another generation of explorers.
