Katy Perry, Gayle King, Lauren Sanchez on historic all-female spaceflight

In a historic moment for space tourism and gender representation in space exploration, Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket launched an all-female celebrity crew on Monday.

The crew included pop star Katy Perry, media mogul Gayle King, and Lauren Sanchez, a helicopter pilot, former TV journalist, and the fiancée of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos.

The mission marked the first all-female spaceflight in over 60 years, making it a monumental step in both commercial space travel and the empowerment of women in aerospace.

The rocket, which lifted off from Blue Origin's West Texas launch site, ascended to the edge of space, reaching approximately 65 miles (105 kilometers) above Earth. The flight offered the crew several minutes of weightlessness before making a parachute-assisted descent back to the desert below.

This brief but thrilling 10-minute journey is part of the growing trend of private space travel, where the rich, famous, and well-connected have the opportunity to enter the zero-gravity frontier once reserved for astronauts.

Joining Sanchez on this historic flight were other inspiring women: Aisha Bowe, a former NASA engineer and founder of a company focused on science education; Amanda Nguyen, a scientist and activist for survivors of sexual violence; and Kerianne Flynn, a film producer. 

Sanchez, a helicopter pilot and former TV journalist, personally invited the crew members to join her on the journey, aiming to inspire people of all ages, particularly women and girls, to dream big and reach for the stars.

Sanchez emphasized that her all-female crew was a deliberate choice, underscoring the significance of the moment for commercial space travel and the broader goal of gender equality in the space industry.

"It's an important moment for the future of commercial space travel and for humanity in general, and for women all around," said Perry, who has been a vocal advocate for breaking down barriers in various industries.

The flight was also attended by several notable VIPs, including media mogul Oprah Winfrey. The launch represents Blue Origin’s 11th human spaceflight, a series of missions aimed at making space travel more accessible to non-professional astronauts.

The company, founded by Bezos in 2000, has previously carried a variety of celebrities and business figures into space, including "Star Trek" actor William Shatner, TV host Michael Strahan, and aviation pioneers like Wally Funk and Ed Dwight.

As Blue Origin continues to push the boundaries of commercial spaceflight, the company's mission to inspire future generations of explorers remains central. With tickets to space likely priced in the high six figures, it remains unclear how much the flight cost or who paid for the mission. However, the timing is significant as Sanchez and Bezos prepare for their upcoming wedding in Venice later this year.

This historic flight not only marks a major milestone in the history of space tourism but also serves as a reminder that space exploration is no longer confined to astronauts and governmental agencies, it’s an industry poised to break barriers and include a more diverse group of pioneers.