Blue Origin’s latest rocket launch may only last 11 minutes, but it’s already gone down in history—and not just because of who is on board.
On Monday, 14 April 2025, six remarkable women—including pop icon Katy Perry, veteran broadcaster Gayle King and civil rights campaigner Amanda Nguyen—are set to blast off from Blue Origin’s West Texas site aboard the New Shepard rocket. The suborbital mission, dubbed NS-31, marks the first time an all-female crew has flown to the edge of space since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s solo mission in 1963.
The all-women passenger list also includes aerospace engineer and former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, filmmaker Kerianne Flynn, and pilot and former journalist Lauren Sánchez, who also happens to be Jeff Bezos’ fiancée. Sánchez didn’t just fly the capsule—she helped design the flight suits, too.
The crew will be carried just above the Kármán line—an invisible boundary 100 kilometres (62 miles) above Earth, considered the edge of space—before floating in microgravity for a few minutes and safely parachuting back to the Texas desert. The fully autonomous rocket system detached the capsule mid-flight before making a separate landing.
A mission years in the making—and decades overdue
While Blue Origin has launched 52 passengers before, NS-31 is celebrated as a cultural milestone. It’s the first time the company, or any private space firm, has dedicated a mission solely to women. And with such a high-profile crew, it has reignited conversations about representation, visibility, and who gets to go to space.
Aisha Bowe wrote on Instagram ahead of the launch:
“This moment isn’t just about me…it’s about the women who came before me who made a way when there was none. Those who challenged systems, shattered ceilings, and carried the weight of possibility on their shoulders. And it’s about the ones launching with me, reminding the world that we’ve always belonged in this space”
View this post on Instagram
Amanda Nguyen, founder of Rise—a civil rights organisation for sexual violence survivors—shared a similar sentiment, writing on X (formerly Twitter), “ from mom’s refugee boat, to dad’s C-130, to the New Shepard space crew capsule. Came on boats, and now we’re on spaceships. L-5 days. 🚀”
A personalized mission patch. It honors my family’s journey to touch the stars. This is the personal DNA of my flight – from mom’s refugee boat, to dad’s C-130, to the New Shepard space crew capsule. Came on boats, and now we’re on spaceships. L-5 days. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/pA5hoXs2TU
— Amanda 🚀 (@nguyen_amanda) April 9, 2025
Nguyen is also making history as the first Vietnamese and Southeast Asian woman to travel to space.
Kerianne Flynn shared her thoughts on the mission in a recent interview with Elle:
I grew up in a small town in Michigan, and I always looked up at the stars with my grandfather. He would talk about celestial events and explain the astronomy of the sky. I wondered, ‘What is out there, and what is up there?’ But going through the rest of my life—my career, my education—it just didn’t seem like something that was attainable. So when this opportunity came along, especially to be part of a historic all-female crew, I felt honored and excited.”
View this post on Instagram
Katy Perry’s celestial signs
For Katy Perry, who turned 40 last year, the decision to take part in the mission was deeply personal—and cosmic. In a video shared to social media, Perry said she had been looking for “signs from the heavens” to confirm she was meant to go.
She found two.
“When I saw the capsule, it had the shape of a feather on the front,” she said. “My mum has always called me ‘Feather’. And then I found out the capsule’s name is Tortoise. My other nickname. What are the chances?”
She added that she is doing the flight for her daughter, Daisy. “I want her to grow up knowing she can be anything. No dream is too big.”
@katyperryToday’s reminder that there is something bigger than me guiding my journey. Love, Feather/Tortoise 🪶🐢♬ original sound – Katy Perry
Space suits with ‘spice’
Another history-making element is the flight suits themselves. Sánchez, eager to bring style and femininity to a traditionally masculine industry, worked with Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim—designers behind the label Monse and creative directors at Oscar de la Renta—to create the navy-blue, figure-hugging flight suits.
View this post on Instagram
“Usually, these suits are designed for men and then tailored down for women,” Sánchez told The New York Times. “We wanted to reimagine what they could look like—elegant, functional, and with a little spice.”
She joked during a pre-launch livestream, “We’re putting the ass in astronaut,” quoting a comment made by Perry during training.
The suits, emblazoned with each woman’s surname and the Blue Origin logo, quickly went viral online, with fans calling them “space couture.” Perry later posted a snap of herself in her custom suit with the caption, “Forever in awe of the universe and its alignment.”
A fast but unforgettable flight
The flight itself will be short, lasting just over ten minutes from launch to landing. After take-off, the New Shepard rocket will propel the capsule at more than three times the speed of sound. Once above the Kármán line, the capsule will separate from the booster, allowing the six women to unbuckle and float in microgravity—an experience several crew members described as “life-changing.”
What’s next for Blue Origin?
Monday’s NS-31 flight is the 11th crewed mission for Blue Origin, part of Jeff Bezos’ larger vision of normalising space tourism. But this particular launch feels different—less about novelty and more about symbolism.
While the company hasn’t disclosed what (if anything) the passengers paid for their seats, analysts say the focus is clearly on inspiration over income. With rivals like SpaceX and Virgin Galactic competing for orbital tourism dominance, Blue Origin’s latest move positions it as a brand that’s not just launching rockets—but breaking ceilings.
Still, questions remain about who gets access to these experiences. As Amanda Nguyen noted, “It’s not enough to diversify who’s going to space. We have to democratise it.”
But for now, the sight of six women floating among the stars—offers a moment of pure wonder.
ALSO SEE:
Bill Gates defends giving kids under 1% of his wealth: ‘It’s not a dynasty’
Featured Image: Instagram | @laurenwsanchez
