On April 14, Blue Origin — the space company founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos — launched its first-ever all-female crew on a suborbital flight to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere, according to the national portal “Adyrna.”
This marked the first such mission since Valentina Tereshkova’s historic flight in 1963. The New Shepard rocket lifted off from a spaceport in Texas around 8:30 a.m. local time (13:30 GMT), carrying six female passengers to the Kármán line — the official boundary of space located approximately 100 km above Earth.
The crew included Lauren Sánchez (Bezos’ fiancée), TV host Gayle King, former NASA engineer Aisha Bowe, human rights activist Amanda Nguyen, film producer Keriann Flynn, and pop singer Katy Perry.
The flight lasted about 11 minutes. After experiencing a brief moment of weightlessness, the capsule returned safely to Earth using parachutes and braking rockets.
After landing, Katy Perry and Gayle King knelt down to kiss the ground. An emotional Sánchez said she couldn’t hold back her tears and described Earth from above as “incredibly peaceful and full of life.”
During the flight, Katy Perry sang Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” and said she felt a “special connection filled with love.” She brought a white daisy flower to space — a symbol of strength and resilience — in honor of her daughter, Daisy.
Producer Keriann Flynn recalled how her son’s friend once said, “Moms don’t go to space,” and proudly replied, “Well, his mom did.”
Aisha Bowe shared that during the mission, there was a powerful energy in the quiet exchange of glances among the crew inside the capsule.
This was the 31st flight of the New Shepard rocket and Blue Origin’s 11th crewed mission. Although the company does not disclose ticket prices, a total of 52 people have flown to space through this program.
The launch was not only a celebratory event but also a statement highlighting women’s growing role in space exploration, while also drawing public attention to Blue Origin’s future projects. Though Elon Musk’s SpaceX currently leads in both launch frequency and technology, Blue Origin is placing its hopes on the new New Glenn rocket. Its first successful launch took place in January 2025, and it is expected to expand the company’s capacity to transport cargo and people into orbit.
