Blue Origin’s all-female crew, with Katy Perry onboard, soars to space and returns with a smooth landing

Katy Perry and All-Women Crew Soar into Space with Blue Origin

There was music, science and a message of empowerment as Katy Perry and five other women took flight on Monday. Their journey wasn't just about reaching space — it was about rewriting the story of who gets to go there. From West Texas, Blue Origin launched its first all-female crew, making it a moment of pride for women across the globe.

Blue Origin finalised its 11th human mission with a sub-orbital flight that took about a decade. The rocket took off a few minutes after 8:30 a.m. local time, taking six women on board the New Shepard capsule, which was fully automated. The spacecraft soared to an altitude of over 100 kilometers, going past the Kármán line — the accepted edge of space — before coming down to a perfect landing in the desert of Texas.

A smooth landing in West Texas.Book your flight on New Shepard: https://t.co/RP3Lixyr4Y pic.twitter.com/xPiu9LMtlH
Blue Origin (@blueorigin) April 14, 2025

The flight was the company's first all-female crew and the world's second all-female spaceflight since 1963. It came on the heels of Valentina Tereshkova, who was the first woman to solo fly into space over six decades ago. The multicultural crew onboard comprised pop star Katy Perry, seasoned journalist Gayle King, and pilot Lauren Sánchez, who is also Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' fiancée.

Weightless and limitless. pic.twitter.com/GQgHd0aw7i Blue Origin (@blueorigin) April 14, 2025

They were accompanied by Aisha Bowe, a former rocket scientist at NASA; Amanda Nguyen, a civil rights advocate and Nobel Peace Prize nominee; and Kerianne Flynn, a film producer who has worked with Sánchez. The women collectively added some combination of talent, experience and purpose to the endeavor.

Prior to the flight, Perry looked back on her childhood interest in the stars and said she studied astrophysics and read Carl Sagan books to prepare. Famous for her space-themed songs such as E.T. and Firework, she explained that the mission had a message beyond reaching space. "You're brave, you're bold… no limitations," she explained, looking to inspire young girls watching. She also mentioned that being a mother provided her with a new type of strength, one that she took with her to space.

Blue Origin called the flight a historic moment for women in space travel. Everyone on the crew was dressed in specially designed suits with customized patches that represented their legacy and path. Under ascent, the New Shepard capsule flew at rates more than three times the speed of sound before returning safely to Earth.

Higher res version. pic.twitter.com/5TCBLIU9Ay
Dave Limp (@davill) April 14, 2025

This journey was not only technically impressive but symbolic as well. It served to remind the world that space is not just for a privileged few — it's a frontier where tales like this can soar.