Katy Perry joins all-female crew on Blue Origin flight

Pop star Katy Perry joined an all-female crew on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket for mission NS-31, marking the first crewed spaceflight with an all-woman lineup since 1963. The 11-minute flight, which briefly crossed the Kármán line and delivered several minutes of weightlessness, featured Perry alongside journalist Gayle King, philanthropist Lauren Sánchez, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and producer Kerianne Flynn. During the mission, Perry performed a snippet of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" and showcased a setlist for her upcoming tour, dedicating it to her daughter, Daisy.

Launching from West Texas just after 08:30 local time, the fully autonomous New Shepard flight did not require manual control by the crew. Instead, the spacecraft operated on pre-programmed systems with the crew on board purely as passengers. After reaching more than 100 km above Earth, the capsule safely returned with parachute-assisted touchdown in the Chihuahuan Desert. Jeff Bezos, founder of Blue Origin, welcomed the team back and highlighted the flight’s significance.

The historic mission generated both praise and criticism. Supporters, including Perry and King, emphasized its symbolic importance in inspiring women in space exploration and the future of commercial space travel. King remarked on the flight transcending individual identities, and Perry spoke passionately about its role in motivating global female empowerment. Critics questioned the mission's alignment with genuine feminist values, arguing that celebrity involvement—symbolized by figures like Perry and Sánchez—and financial backing from billionaire Jeff Bezos overshadowed scientific purposes and merit-based crew selection.

Blue Origin’s successful flight underscores the potential of commercial space tourism and its role in altering public perceptions of space travel.