Katy Perry is set to join a Blue Origin spaceflight on Monday that’s expected to make history as the first all-women private space tourism mission since Valentina Tereshkova’s solo flight in 1963. The upcoming 11-minute suborbital journey, set to launch from Blue Origin’s West Texas site, features a diverse and high-profile crew led by Lauren Sánchez—pilot, journalist, philanthropist, and fiancée of Jeff Bezos.
Katy Perry, known for her cosmic flair and global stardom, is one of six women preparing to board Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket. Joining her will be CBS anchor Gayle King, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn. All are Sánchez’s personal guests, and none paid the usual $200,000 to $300,000 ticket price. While the mission is brief, the moment is expected to make a lasting impression—on both the passengers and space tourism as a whole.
Although the crew will not pilot the rocket, they have undergone two days of mandatory training to comply with Federal Aviation Administration regulations. They’ve learned how to re-strap into their seats after the period of weightlessness, considered one of the most critical safety components. According to actor William Shatner, a previous Blue Origin passenger, poor strapping technique could result in back injuries due to G-forces during reentry.
A New Era of Space Travel, Glammed Up
Expectations for this flight stretch beyond technical achievement. With high fashion, lipstick, and lash extensions all in the mix, the crew is redefining what a space traveler can look like. Perry herself joked that “space is going to finally be glam,” while Nguyen, a Harvard graduate and activist, emphasized the importance of showing multidimensional femininity: “We contain multitudes. Women are multitudes. I’m going to be wearing lipstick.”
Sánchez, who has published a children’s book called The Fly Who Flew to Space, will bring a plush toy version of the book’s character along for the ride. The symbolic gesture ties into her work as vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund and her efforts to inspire the next generation of explorers. “Little girls and boys are going to be more curious about space,” she said ahead of the flight.
The trip will briefly take the crew past the Kármán line—62 miles above Earth—where they will experience about four minutes of weightlessness before returning to Earth under parachutes. During this zero-gravity window, previous Blue Origin passengers have performed somersaults, taken selfies, and floated around the capsule. This crew, too, will likely celebrate their few minutes of floating freedom with a mix of joy and awe.
Who’s Who Aboard the New Shepard
The six passengers each bring a unique story to the capsule. Katy Perry, 40, is not just a global pop sensation but also a longtime space enthusiast. She’s reportedly been eager to fly for two decades. Her playlist for the mission is said to last three times longer than the flight itself.
Gayle King, 70, was initially hesitant about joining the mission but eventually embraced the opportunity, describing her emotions as “terrified and excited at the same time.” King, a well-known broadcaster and close friend of Oprah Winfrey, admitted she’s been meditating to manage the anxiety leading up to launch day.
Other passengers include Aisha Bowe, a former NASA aerospace engineer; Amanda Nguyen, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee and founder of Rise; and Kerianne Flynn, a veteran in the film industry and longtime friend of Sánchez. Each woman reflects a different facet of what space tourism could represent moving forward—science, activism, entertainment, and curiosity blended together at 2,200 mph.
While critics debate whether this flight is a feminist milestone or a publicity stunt, few can deny its cultural impact. The blend of celebrity, science, and spectacle is exactly what Blue Origin, and its founder Jeff Bezos, seem to be aiming for. The New Shepard rocket, named after astronaut Alan Shepard, has already carried 52 people into space since its first crewed mission in 2021. But never a group quite like this.
The timing is also strategic. Bezos’ company is currently competing for NASA funding against Elon Musk’s SpaceX, with plans to launch a commercial space station called Orbital Reef by 2027. Monday’s flight provides a different kind of proof-of-concept: not about technology, but public excitement, brand visibility, and the normalization of private space travel.
Whether seen as groundbreaking or glamorous—or both—this all-women Blue Origin spaceflight promises to be more than just another ride to the edge of space. For millions watching back on Earth, it could very well redefine what it means to reach for the stars.
