On April 14, 2025, Blue Origin, the private spaceflight company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, will send its first all-female crewed flight with six incredible women. Some of the crew include pop star Katy Perry joining broadcast journalist Gayle King, Amazon executive and Bezos’ girlfriend Lauren Sanchez, ex-NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics expert Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn.
The mission, known as NS-31, will take the women on an 11-minute journey into space aboard a self-driving rocket set to launch from Van Horn, Texas.
A Dream Come True for Katy Perry
Katy Perry, 40, has long dreamed of going to space. “I’ve dreamed of going to space for 15 years and tomorrow that dream becomes a reality,” she shared on Instagram. The pop icon is delighted to be a part of this momentous mission. “I am SO honoured to be alongside 5 other incredible and inspiring women as we become the first ever all female flight space crew.” Perry is thrilled, suggesting the prospect of singing during the flight, “I think I’m gonna sing, I’ve got to sing in space!”
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The astronauts will be on board Blue Origin’s reusable New Shepard rocket, which is named after astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American to go into space. The rocket is reusable and meant for human travel. The company’s 11th crewed mission, this spaceflight will be historic.
Historic Nature of the Mission This mission is historic because it will be the first all-female crewed space mission in 60 years. The first female space traveler was Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, who had solo flighted in 1963. On this new mission, the six women will have four minutes of weightlessness while flying over the Karman line—a height of 62 miles, which is the edge of space.
They will parachute back down to Earth and land in Texas. The Blue Origin team designed the flight to operate without a pilot aboard. The spacecraft will travel at over three times the speed of sound, providing the passengers with a short but powerful experience of space.
Women Leading the Way: A Space Revolution
This historic mission underscores the increasing contribution of women in space travel. The crew members of the mission are not just representatives but also successful. Lauren Sanchez, 55, is also Bezos’ fiancée, and Aisha Bowe, 38, is a retired NASA rocket scientist. Amanda Nguyen, 33, is a research scientist in bioastronautics, and Kerianne Flynn is a film producer.
Sanchez, who was a key player in designing the jumpsuits of the all-female crew, described how she collaborated with the fashion house Monse to produce a design that was both functional and fashionable. “I think the suits are elegant, but they also bring a little spice to space,” she said, pointing to the specially made dark blue jumpsuits with NASA emblems. “We’re putting the ‘a–‘ in astronaut,” Katy Perry joked in reference to the new look.
A Mission with Purpose: Representation and Inspiration
For Sanchez and Bowe, this mission is not only a chance to make history but also an opportunity to inspire future generations of women to pursue careers in space and science. Sanchez explained, “All of these women are storytellers in their own right. They’re going to go up to space and be able to spread what they felt in different ways.”
Bowe stressed the value of representation, stating, “This representation matters. It’s people seeing themselves and being able to show up authentically in their careers in the future.”
As Blue Origin continues to push toward democratizing space travel, the organization is working toward establishing a future where millions of individuals live and work in space while solving Earth’s most significant environmental issues. Blue Origin’s goal is to utilize materials in space to produce solar power systems, cables, and oxygen and to find and harvest water ice on the Moon for powering landers.
Criticism and Controversy: The Space Debate
Although the mission is historic, it has also ignited a bit of controversy. Actress Olivia Munn raised concerns and questioned the purpose of such missions and why they require enormous financial investment. “I’m not sure what they’re doing up there,” Munn said, continuing, “There are so many other things that are important in the world right now. It’s a lot of money to go to space, and there are people who can’t even afford basic necessities.”
However, Sanchez and Bowe have stood alone in defense of the mission, pointing out that it’s more than a simple ride to space. “This is about storytelling and inspiring other people to dream bigger,” Sanchez explained. “We need more women in space, and we need more diversity in these areas.”
A Step Toward Future Exploration
Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission is merely a first step in the company’s long-term goal of space exploration. When Blue Origin took Jeff Bezos to space in 2021, he confirmed his commitment to making space travel available for everyone. When competing with SpaceX, Bezos’ dream is to not only make space exploration accessible commercially but also one that serves all humanity.
The women on this mission are part of a new generation of space explorers. They are expanding the limits of what is possible with their bravery, ability, and uplifting tales—and proving to the world that anyone with a dream and the desire to reach for the stars belongs in space, not just the elite.
