Fans in shock after Katy Perry, Lauren Sanchez and Gayle King announce they're going to space on Jeff Bezos' rocket
Even though Katy Perry's "Woman's World" might've caused plenty of controversy when it was released in 2014, the pop starlet is flying the flag for its message as she reaches for the stars as part of an all-female space crew.
The great space race is back on, and while Elon Musk's SpaceX busies itself with destroying the International Space Station and trying to get humans back on the Moon for the first time since 1972, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin is working on reusable rockets and the Orbital Reef station that's supposed to encourage 'space tourism'.
While most of us will never be able to afford a ticket on one of Bezos' Blue Origin rockets, his status as the world's third-richest man (currently just beaten by Mark Zuckerberg) means he can afford to splash the cash.
Even though NASA and other space organisations are pushing for more female astronauts, the honor of the only all-female space flight goes to Valentina Tereshkova all the way back in 1963. That is an anomaly in itself, as the lonely Tereshkova has to undertake it as a solo mission. This makes Blue Origin's all-female launch something of a big deal.
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The official Blue Origin site has announced the NS-31 mission, which is due to blast off this spring. Although no exact launch date is given, it seems like a missed opportunity if Blue Origin doesn't aim for International Women's Day. With that being just a matter of days away, it seems unlikely.
The crew consists of singer Katy Perry, television host Gayle King, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and producer Kerianne Flynn. They're joined by former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe and Jeff Bezos’s fiancee, Lauren Sánchez.
You might especially remember Sánchez for turning heads at President Trump's January 20 inauguration.
Don't expect Perry to be serenading astronauts aboard the ISS with "Firework" because the Blue Origin flight will only take 11 minutes.
During this time, the all-female crew will head past the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. While up there, they'll experience several minutes of weightlessness and get to see Earth like most of us never will.
Blue Origin went on to explain how its all automated: "Every person on board is a crew member − there are no pilots."
Sánchez cheered the mission and added: "This flight will undoubtedly prove to be a life-changing experience for each of us, and I’m honored to be with such an incredible group of explorers.
"Most importantly, I am looking forward to all the women in this crew sharing their story and inspiring future generations to dream big."
This isn't Blue Origin's first time taking celebrities to space, as in 2021, Star Trek’s William Shatner became the oldest person to fly in space at the age of 90.
As the first all-female spacewalk didn't happen until October 2019 (with NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch), Blue Origin's launch is one for the history books...even if they're only up there for just over 10 minutes.
At least this latest trip to the cosmos will hopefully restore our faith in humanity after Blue Origin was bombarded with abuse when Emily Calandrelli flew to space in 2024.