For the first time since 1963, a rocket soared into space with an all-female crew. Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket lifted off Monday morning, April 14, from Launch Site One in West Texas. The mission, officially known as NS-31, marked the company’s 31st overall flight and its 11th to carry humans. But this launch was especially notable—not just for the milestone it achieved, but for the women it carried beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
On board were singer Katy Perry, journalist Gayle King, pilot and entrepreneur Lauren Sánchez, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, investor Kerianne Flynn, and civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen. Together, they boarded the “RSS Kármán Line,” Blue Origin’s suborbital space capsule. It was named after the boundary of space that lies 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth.
The rocket lifted off at 9:30 a.m. EDT, and within just over ten minutes, the crew had soared past the edge of space, floated in weightlessness for four awe-inspiring minutes, and safely returned to Earth. Perry, who shared the first behind-the-scenes video of the flight shortly after touchdown, described the experience as surreal. “Still processing this incredible journey,” she wrote. In the video, all six women can be seen laughing and cheering as they float weightlessly inside the capsule, dressed in custom blue Monse-designed astronaut suits.
Katy Perry holds up a daisy to the camera—an emotional tribute to her 4-year-old daughter, Daisy—while giggling to herself. Nearby, Lauren Sánchez, 55, kisses a small plush toy after Gayle King, 70, snatches it mid-float with a grin.
The video has received about 5 million views within an hour of posting. Perry captioned the post, reminiscing about the flight. She also expressed gratitude for being one of the six women who marked this moment. In the comment section of the post, Perry received an overwhelming response. However, not everyone was onboard with the excitement. Some viewers in the comment sections raised eyebrows, questioning the purpose of the flight.
What was the point of the NS-31 mission?
Blue Origin framed the mission as more than a joyride. The company pitched it as a bold effort to inspire young girls to dream big in STEM—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Lauren Sánchez echoed this sentiment in her Elle cover story ahead of the launch, saying the goal was to inspire “the next generation of explorers.”
Still, critics weren’t entirely convinced. A New York Times writer noted that the women aboard weren’t astronauts in the traditional sense—they were space tourists. Their mission wasn’t scientific research, but rather to feel weightlessness, catch a glimpse of Earth from above, and share the moment with the world in real time.
However, one might see the event- it wrote its name in the history of spaceflight where six women soared into the sky together—and made history just by being there.
On board were singer Katy Perry, journalist Gayle King, pilot and entrepreneur Lauren Sánchez, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, investor Kerianne Flynn, and civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen. Together, they boarded the “RSS Kármán Line,” Blue Origin’s suborbital space capsule. It was named after the boundary of space that lies 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth.
The rocket lifted off at 9:30 a.m. EDT, and within just over ten minutes, the crew had soared past the edge of space, floated in weightlessness for four awe-inspiring minutes, and safely returned to Earth. Perry, who shared the first behind-the-scenes video of the flight shortly after touchdown, described the experience as surreal. “Still processing this incredible journey,” she wrote. In the video, all six women can be seen laughing and cheering as they float weightlessly inside the capsule, dressed in custom blue Monse-designed astronaut suits.
Katy Perry holds up a daisy to the camera—an emotional tribute to her 4-year-old daughter, Daisy—while giggling to herself. Nearby, Lauren Sánchez, 55, kisses a small plush toy after Gayle King, 70, snatches it mid-float with a grin.
The video has received about 5 million views within an hour of posting. Perry captioned the post, reminiscing about the flight. She also expressed gratitude for being one of the six women who marked this moment. In the comment section of the post, Perry received an overwhelming response. However, not everyone was onboard with the excitement. Some viewers in the comment sections raised eyebrows, questioning the purpose of the flight.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DIdVi_5xTKc/ https://www.instagram.com/p/DIdVi_5xTKc/
What was the point of the NS-31 mission?
Blue Origin framed the mission as more than a joyride. The company pitched it as a bold effort to inspire young girls to dream big in STEM—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Lauren Sánchez echoed this sentiment in her Elle cover story ahead of the launch, saying the goal was to inspire “the next generation of explorers.”
Still, critics weren’t entirely convinced. A New York Times writer noted that the women aboard weren’t astronauts in the traditional sense—they were space tourists. Their mission wasn’t scientific research, but rather to feel weightlessness, catch a glimpse of Earth from above, and share the moment with the world in real time.
However, one might see the event- it wrote its name in the history of spaceflight where six women soared into the sky together—and made history just by being there.
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