Katy Perry, the pop sensation known for her electrifying performances and chart-topping hits, is set to embark on a groundbreaking adventure to the edge of space. This exciting mission is scheduled for Monday, with Perry joining five other renowned celebrities aboard a state-of-the-art capsule and rocket developed by Blue Origin, the private spaceflight company founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos.
The illustrious crew accompanying Perry includes notable figures such as Gayle King, co-host of “CBS Mornings”; Lauren Sánchez, a former journalist and Bezos' fiancée; Aisha Bowe, a former NASA rocket scientist; Amanda Nguyen, a bioastronautics research scientist; and Kerianne Flynn, a movie producer. This all-female lineup marks a significant milestone in aerospace history, as it represents the first female-only crew to launch since 1963, when Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space during a solo mission that lasted just under three days.
The much-anticipated launch is set for 9:30 a.m. ET from Blue Origin's launch site located in Van Horn, Texas. During this thrilling joyride to space, the crew will ascend aboard the New Shepard rocket, reaching speeds that exceed three times the speed of sound. The entire voyage is expected to last approximately 10 minutes, during which the six passengers will ascend past the Kármán line, an altitude of 62 miles that is widely recognized as the boundary of space.
Once they reach this remarkable height, Perry and her fellow crew members will experience a few exhilarating minutes of weightlessness. Following this brief period of floating in zero gravity, the crew will safely descend under parachutes, landing back in the Texas desert, completing a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
This flight will mark Blue Origin’s 11th mission featuring a human crew. The New Shepard system, named in honor of Alan Shepard, the first American in space, is designed for autonomous flights to and from suborbital space, eliminating the need for a pilot onboard. Blue Origin has previously hosted a variety of high-profile passengers, including “Star Trek” actor William Shatner, former NFL star Michael Strahan, and Laura Shepard Churchley, the daughter of astronaut Alan Shepard, along with Bezos himself.
While a ticket for a flight aboard the New Shepard is rumored to cost several hundreds of thousands of dollars, Blue Origin has not publicly disclosed the exact amount the celebrity passengers on Monday's flight will have paid for their extraordinary experience. As the excitement builds, many are eager to witness this historic journey that not only celebrates women's achievements in space exploration but also showcases the growing realm of space tourism.
