Pop star Katy Perry to headline historic all-female Blue Origin space mission  

A groundbreaking space mission is set to launch on April 14, as Blue Origin prepares to send its first all-female crew into space. Headlined by pop superstar Katy Perry, the six-member team will embark on an 11-minute suborbital flight aboard the New Shepard rocket, making history as the first all-female spaceflight crew since 1963.

Joining Perry on this milestone journey are journalist Gayle King, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics researcher and civil rights advocate Amanda Nguyen, filmmaker Kerianne Flynn, and Emmy Award-winning journalist and pilot Lauren Sánchez. Sánchez, who is engaged to Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos, also serves as Vice Chair of the Bezos Earth Fund.

The mission marks the 11th manned spaceflight for New Shepard and will reach an altitude of approximately 65 miles above Earth, briefly crossing the Kármán line, the recognized boundary of space. The flight will provide the crew with a few minutes of weightlessness before returning to Earth.

The crew has been undergoing rigorous training, including zero-gravity simulations and high-intensity flight exercises. Bowe recently completed a NASTAR simulation to acclimate to the physical demands of space travel, while Flynn has been practicing in zero-gravity flights to experience weightlessness firsthand. King, meanwhile, is incorporating meditation techniques to manage anxiety ahead of the launch.

Final training sessions will take place at Blue Origin’s launch facility in Van Horn, Texas. The astronauts will be fitted for customised flight suits, familiarise themselves with the capsule layout, and undergo safety drills to ensure they are fully prepared for the mission.