After over 15 years of pop-star Katy Perry publicly stating her dreams of space travel, she finally obtained the opportunity to travel to space April 14, 2025. Five other crew members, both reporters and celebrities, joined Perry on this journey called the Blue Origin mission. This mission, sponsored by billionaire Jeff Bezos, occurred when the private company Blue Origin, a company that focuses on spaceflight for all, sent the crew to space for approximately 11 minutes.
Perry’s crew — Bezos’s wife Lauren Sanchez, Gayle King, Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen and Kerianne Flynn — felt especially unique as it included solely women. Each member held a specific role on the trip to fulfill both entertainment and safety needs. Perry and Sanchez focused on promoting the trip on all of their socials, while filmmaker Flynn and journalist and rocket scientist King focused on creating content and maintaining safety on the actual ship. Although these women felt nervous while planning this trip, their excitement overall boosted the morale and created a memorable experience for all members. The crew’s friends and family, including Perry’s daughter Daisy and Oprah Winfrey, gathered around to support these women who created history.
The New Shepard rocket launched at 9:30 a.m. from Origin’s West Texas launch site. The rocket traveled more than 60 miles above Earth, landing in the mesosphere. In this layer, the crew saw the moon and the complete darkness surrounding their home planet. They described their time in space as peaceful and joyful and even felt a weightless environment where they tumbled and completed handstands. Perry utilized this opportunity to sing “What a Wonderful World” in space and held a daisy in honor of her daughter. Upon returning to Earth, the women claimed to feel different than before their takeoff and held a new perspective on life.
Once the crew successfully landed on the ground, they met with numerous reporters and an enormous crowd who prepared to ask the women about their once-in-a-lifetime experience. Each member of the all-girl crew reacted differently to their first steps back on Earth. The majority of the women rushed to embrace their families, but Perry and King decided to kiss the ground as they felt an appreciation for the planet. They further explained in interviews that this experience helped them see Earth from a unique view and showed them the true goals of life.
“It is the highest high, and it is surrender to the unknown, trust. This whole journey is not just about going to space. It’s the training, it’s the team, it’s the whole thing. I couldn’t recommend this experience more. This is up there with all the different tools that I’ve learned in my life, from meditation to the Hoffman process. This is up there because what you’re doing is really finding the love for yourself. You’ve got to trust in yourself on this journey,” Perry said.
The women on the Blue Origin mission aimed to impact future generations and inspire them to explore new opportunities. In particular, Perry and the rest of the crew hoped to encourage young girls to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers in their upcoming futures. Once they landed, the crew explained that they shared their experience on social media to provide a closer look into the future of space life, as Blue Origin continues to work toward shaping spaceflight into an accessible dream for all.
“I was really surprised when I found out Katy Perry was going to space because she has been pretty silent recently. At first, I was a little bit confused about why she was doing this, but when I found out that she was doing it to inspire other girls around the world, I respected her for it. This was truly a step for women, as the first moon landing was known as a step for mankind and was more specific to men. I feel like women are finally stepping up to show their place and talents and I’m inspired and here for it,” magnet junior Amy Ngige said.
