In a groundbreaking moment for space exploration, pop icon Katy Perry is set to embark on a historic all-female spaceflight aboard Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket. The mission, scheduled for April 14, 2025, marks the first all-woman crewed flight since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s pioneering solo journey in 1963. Perry will join five other accomplished women on this remarkable voyage beyond the Earth’s atmosphere.
The crew includes Lauren Sánchez, Bezos’ fiancée and a licensed pilot; Gayle King, renowned broadcast journalist; Amanda Nguyen, a bioastronautics research scientist; Kerianne Flynn, a film producer; and Aisha Bowe, a former NASA rocket scientist and STEMBoard CEO. Together, these women aim to inspire future generations with their bold endeavor. Sánchez, who spearheaded the mission, expressed her hope that it would challenge perspectives of Earth and empower participants to share their unique stories.
The flight is part of Blue Origin’s New Shepard program, which utilizes reusable suborbital rockets designed for space tourism. The NS-31 mission will launch from West Texas and propel the crew past the Kármán line—the internationally recognized boundary of space—offering them a brief period of weightlessness before returning to Earth via parachute. Tickets for such flights reportedly cost upwards of $200,000.
Perry, known for hits like “E.T.” and “Firework,” shared her excitement about the mission during preparations. She revealed how she has been mentally preparing herself by drawing strength from her role as a mother and tapping into her “feminine divine.” Perry hopes her participation will inspire young girls to dream big and explore STEM fields. “I’m excited to learn more about the engineering and mathematics behind this incredible feat,” she said.
This mission represents Blue Origin’s 11th human flight and its 31st overall. Previous celebrity passengers include William Shatner and Michael Strahan. With this historic launch, Blue Origin continues its vision of making space accessible while fostering global awareness of Earth’s fragility.
As anticipation builds for this landmark event, Perry and her fellow crew members stand poised to make history not just as astronauts but as symbols of empowerment and progress in space exploration.