Women Soar to New Heights with Blue Origin
One small step for man, one giant leap for (woman)kind: Blue Origin’s spaceflight will soar with Katy Perry, Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez, and more. The spaceflight is dubbed a first-of-its-kind historic launch that includes an all-female crew of a diverse range of backgrounds.
Blasting off next week on April 14, the launch will be live-streamed and headed for the edge of space. Joining the trio are former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, Asian American civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and Hollywood film producer Kerrianne Flynn.
In an effort to promote the upcoming historic launch, the six women graced the cover of Elle magazine. Gayle King and Katy Perry reminisced about the over half an hour phone call the two had prior to the launch. King commented, “We had been on the phone for 36 minutes, and I’d asked her 50 million questions, until finally she said, ‘Could I just interrupt for a second? Are you aware that our flight is going to be shorter than this freaking phone call?’”
In a separate interview to Us Weekly, King admitted her nerves about the trip, but also seemed optimistic. She commented, “I’m winging it. I’m getting ready. I’m now putting my bag together,” and also discussed her plans to bring a personal item on the eleven minute flight into space.
She continued, ” I just asked my favorite grandson, ‘Could you pick out your favorite animal, one of your favorite stuffed animals, that could go with me to space and keep ‘Gyla’ company?”
Singer Katy Perry has been preparing for space by making a space playlist, which includes Nicki Minaj’s “Starships” and also her own outer space themed song “ET.” She commented, “Space is going to finally be glam. Let me tell you something. If I could take glam up with me, I would do that. We are going to put the “ass” in astronaut.”
Sánchez, journalist and fianceé of Jeff Bezos, organized the crew, commenting that the women were picked for specific reasons. She 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.”
In 2021, Jeff Bezos flew into space on the first crewed flight from his company, Blue Origin. That flight included himself and three other crew mates, including the world’s youngest and oldest space traveler. Founded in 2000, Bezos funded the company with private investments. This flight, led by Sánchez, was initially announced in 2023, much to her excitement.
The spaceflight also checks off another historic landmark: it will be the most diverse space crew in history. For former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, this event will matter the most to young girls of color. She elaborated, “It’s people seeing themselves and being able to show up authentically in their careers in the future.”
Amanda Nguyen had similar thoughts. In the cover story, she admitted after getting the call to join the crew, “I thought, About time. It’s a dream come true, and for me it was a dream deferred.” Kerrianne Flynn echoed the same sentiment, remarking, “Going through the rest of my life—my career, my education—it [space] just didn’t seem like something that was attainable.”
Flynn continued, “I can’t wait to touch down on Earth and share what we bring back with the world.”
The women will take flight on April 14. For more information about Blue Origin, you can visit their website here.
