Everything You Need to Know About Katy Perry and Gayle King's Blue Origin Space Mission

Quelle: VIDEOELEPHANT (Glomex)

Katy Perry will launch into space aboard Blue Origin's NS-31 mission on April 14 at 15:30 German time from West Texas. She will be accompanied by journalist Gayle King, producer Kerianne Flynn, NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, scientist Amanda Nguyen, and Lauren Sánchez, the fiancée of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos. This is the first all-female space crew since 1963 when Valentina Tereshkova from the Soviet Union became the first woman in space. The team will embark on an 11-minute journey above the Kármán Line, the edge of space, aboard the New Shepard, Blue Origin's reusable suborbital rocket. Katy Perry, a lifelong astronomy enthusiast, described the trip as a dream come true. "We are made of stardust," she said, looking forward to learning more about STEM and seeing Earth from above. For others, the mission holds deep personal significance. Nguyen, the first Vietnamese woman in space, sees it as an opportunity to fulfill a "deferred dream" after surviving a sexual assault. "Gender-based violence is a major reason why so many women in STEM fields do not continue their education, and I was one of those women. After being sexually assaulted, I traded my telescope to fight for my rights as a survivor of sexual violence," explained Nguyen. Bowe, the first person of Bahamian descent in space, aims to inspire others in STEM. The crew underwent training including simulations, zero-gravity flights, and safety protocols. Each member brings personal items. For example, Nguyen carries a note that helped her overcome trauma and the pen with which Barack Obama signed the "Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights." While many praised the mission, others, including actress Olivia Munn, criticized its cost and purpose. King acknowledged the criticism but said the mission is "bigger than a man and a company." Blue Origin was founded by Bezos in 2000 with the goal of making space travel more accessible and sustainable through reusable rocket technology. Mission NS-31 will be the eleventh crewed flight of New Shepard and the thirty-first overall.