All-female space flight returns to Earth

An all-woman crew, including pop star Katy Perry, have completed a Blue Origin flight into space, marking a historic moment in space tourism.

The group of six women took part in Blue Origin’s 11th tourist space flight, experiencing weightlessness and enjoying a breathtaking view of Earth from 100 km above the planet.

They took off in a New Shepard rocket from West Texas shortly after 8:30 AM (5:30 PM UAE time). The flight lasted just over 10 minutes, with the crew celebrating their return with smiles and cheers from the capsule.

The flight reached the Karman line, the internationally recognised boundary of space, before the crew capsule detached and safely returned to Earth with the aid of parachutes and a retro rocket.

The all-female crew was selected by Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos’s fiancée Lauren Sanchez. She was joined on the trip by Perry, TV journalist Gayle King, former NASA scientist Aisha Bowe, researcher Amanda Nguyen and movie producer Kerianne Flynn.

Key stats from today’s New Shepard crewed NS-31 mission:

The Crew Capsule reached an apogee of 346,802 ft AGL / 350,449 ft MSL (106 km AGL / 107 km MSL).

The booster reached an apogee of 346,481 ft AGL / 350,128 ft MSL (106 km AGL / 107 km MSL).

Official launch time was…

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) April 14, 2025

What an amazing crew! Great flight this morning. pic.twitter.com/4h5fNGpRRO

— Dave Limp (@davill) April 14, 2025