What to know about the Blue Origin space flight with an all-female crew
- Blue Origin's latest New Shepard flight is set to take six women to space on April 14.
- NS-31, the company's 11th human flight on the New Shepard program, is scheduled to take stars like Katy Perry, Gayle King, Lauren Sanchez and more to space in an 11-minute journey above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space.
- Monday's flight marks the first time an all-women crew has gone to space since 1963, when Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to travel to space.
- The rocket launched at 9:30 a.m. ET and by 9:43 p.m., the crew had safely landed.
Katy Perry says experience of seeing space is ‘2nd to being a mom’
Upon landing, singer Katy Perry said that she feels "super connected to love."
"I think this experience has shown me you never know how much love is inside of you, how much love you have to give, and how loved you are," she said.
Perry said the experience was "second to being a mom." She shares her daughter, Daisy, with fiancé Orlando Bloom.
"Because that's all my love right there," she said. "And I have to surrender and trust that the Universe is going to take care of me and protect me and also my family, my daughter."
She added that by going to space, she wanted to "model courage and worthiness and fearlessness" for her daughter.
The song Katy Perry sung to the crew in space — and why it wasn’t one of her own
Moments after landing back on Earth, Gayle King revealed the song Katy Perry sang in space.
"The best part was when we got back in our seats after zero Gs, Katy sang 'What a Wonderful World,'" King said.
King said the crew had been asking her to sing the entire time, and that Perry wouldn't.
"Everybody said, sing 'Roar,' sing 'Firework.' She said, 'It's not about me. I wanted to talk about the world,'" King recalled.
The CBS Mornings co-host reflected on the experience as a whole.
"I mean, if everybody could experience that peace that we had up there and the kindness, and what it takes to do what we did — all the people that it took to get us up there and get us back safely — I'll never, ever, ever forget," she said.
Kerianne Flynn explains emotional reaction to seeing space
Kerianne Flynn, the film producer aboard the Blue Origin flight, said that seeing space left her with "almost no words."
"It was the most incredible experience of my life to be up there and see like the such vast darkness in space, and look down on our planet, the moon was so beautiful," she said. "And that was like, I felt like that was a special gift just for me."
She continued, "I hope these types of experiences clear a path for everyone to do that."
Lauren Sanchez reacts to her 1st space flight
Lauren Sanchez, the fiancée of Jeff Bezos, shared what it was like to fly into outer space just minutes after she landed back on Earth.
"I'm so proud of this crew," Sanchez said with tears in her eyes. "Like, I mean, Gayle (King), you know, we were just talking in the capsule, doesn't even have ear piercings, she's so afraid to do anything."
"And she got in that capsule, and I think, profoundly changed her. For me, I can't put it into words, but like, I looked out the window and we got to see the moon," she continued.
When asked if going to space was how she expected it to be, Sanchez said, "No."
"I don't think you can describe it ... it was quiet, but then also really alive," she said. "You look at it and you're like, 'We're all in this together.' Like, that's all I could think about, is we're so connected, more connected than you realize."
Sanchez described her emotions as "joy — complete and utter joy and gratefulness."
"I don't cry that often, so I didn't expect to be this emotional. But it's also all the love that was in that capsule, and all the and all the heart and the feelings and all the things," she said.
She also spoke about seeing Bezos before they lifted off.
"I was just like, 'Yeah, I had to come back.' I mean, we're getting married! That would be a bummer for me," she said through laughter.
Blue Origin crew members have the best reactions to arriving back on Earth
Recovery crew members rushed toward the landing zone to prepare the six women crew members to get out of the capsule after their 10-minute space flight.
Jeff Bezos opened the hatch of the capsule as his fiancée Lauren Sanchez was the first to exit around 9:55 a.m.
Bezos and Sanchez hugged before she ran to find her kids. Katy Perry was next, who kissed the ground, followed by the other four crew members.
See Katy Perry’s daughter, Daisy, cheer on mom during Blue Origin flight
Katy Perry's daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom, was spotted at the launch, cheering for her mom's safe return.
The 4-year-old watched her mom, caught briefly on camera watching the capsule touch down with a smile.
Perry shares her daughter with fiancé Orlando Bloom.
What the Blue Origin astronauts said when they got to space
The Blue Origin livestream included audio of what the astronauts were saying when they reached the apogee, or the highest point, of their mission. While the audio was glitchy, certain phrases could be heard.
"Wow," one astronaut said.
“Oh my God. Look at the moon!” another said.
"Oh my God, guys, look at that," another said.
"It's so peaceful up here."
Crew member capsule touches down on Earth
The six crew members screamed as their capsule floated back down to Earth with the help of three parachutes.
The crew members touched back down on Earth at 9:41 a.m., about 10 minutes after they lifted off. The women began screaming again as they were welcomed back on Earth.
Oprah Winfrey is at liftoff, has ‘never been more proud' of Gayle
Oprah Winfrey showed up to see her best friend of almost 50 years take off.
"I've never been more proud of my friend than today," Winfrey said. "Never been more proud because this is bigger than just going to space. I mean, I think for her, who anytime we're on a flight, she's in anybody's lap, if there's a slightest bit of turbulence."
Winfrey says King has "real, real anxiety flying" and thinks this flight will be "cathartic" and help her with "overcoming a wall of fear, a barrier."
Winfrey said that King was surprised when she told her she should do it.
“There’s only one first time. So to be a pioneer is great," she said.
During their last conversation before liftoff, Winfrey says she told King "peace be still. Hold God's unchanging hand. He's got you back."
Oprah gets emotional watching her friend Gayle King go to space
Back on Earth in West Texas, Oprah Winfrey wiped tears from her eyes watching the NS-31 mission lift off and fly to space with her friend Gayle King on board.
Booster touchdown
The NS-31 mission rocket booster has touched back down on Earth after sending its six crew members into space. Up next is the crew member capsule.
Capsule separated from booster, experience of weightlessness begins
"That right there is the most critical milestone of this whole ascent," the commentator said.
NS-31 has liftoff
The six women aboard NS-31 have reached liftoff!
The rocket lifted off around 9:31 a.m. from Launch Site One in West Texas.
Kris Jenner and Khloé Kardashian are at Blue Origin liftoff to support 'girlfriend' Lauren Sánchez
Kris Jenner and Khloé Kardashian are in Texas to support the Blue Origin flight. They're here to support Lauren Sánchez and Jeff Bezos, Jenner said, and be part of the occasion.
"We're here to support our girlfriend and friends. I never thought we'd be talking to you from a space launch. This is a really unique experience. We're honored to support them," Kris Jenner told Blue Origin's Tabitha Lipkin.
"For all of the female astronauts that are going to go up today. It's such a big day in history. It's so empowering. My daughter is 7. To see something like this..." Khloé Kardashian said.
Kris said that her daughter Kim Kardashian was meant to be there but couldn't because she has a "big test" as she's studying for law school.
"I'm super proud of the girls. Every one of them. It's super brave of them," Kris said.
Hear the message Jeff Bezos gave the Blue Origin crew ahead of liftoff
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos gave the NS-31 crew members some words of support ahead of the launch on Monday morning. Bezos went to space on Blue Origin's inaugural crewed flight in 2021.
"I am so excited for you, I don't want to get off," he said while on the rocket with the all-female crew. "I want to go with you."
"And when you get back, I can't wait to hear how it's changed you. I love all of you. See you soon, Godspeed," he continued.
Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sanchez is one of the six crew members on the NS-31 mission.
Blue Origin live stream experiencing 'glitching' issues
The Blue Origin launch livestream on YouTube appears to be glitching, and the YouTube channel has addressed the technical difficulties.
"Hey Space Fans! Blue Origin is experiencing glitching issue’s (sic) with their stream and are actively trying to fix the issue. Please be patient," the channel said in the comments of the live stream.
Some viewers were concerned about the quality ahead of the launch window, which was scheduled to begin around 9:30 a.m. ET.
The crew is officially in the capsule
As they walked into the capsule, the crew members rang a bell as they entered the capsule, as is Blue Origin's tradition.
"We like to let the stars know that we’re having people heading their way," the commentator said.
30 minutes from launch
The launch window for Blue Origin's NS-31 flight begins at 9:30 a.m. ET, meaning the all-female crew is about 30 minutes away from going to space.
The 11-minute flight is scheduled to launch around 9:30 a.m. ET, and will take the six crew members above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space.
What Katy Perry is telling herself ahead of her space launch
Katy Perry shared the words she was telling herself ahead of the launch of NS-31, Blue Origin's latest New Shepard program, on April 14.
“I am talking to myself every day and going, ‘You’re brave, you’re bold, you are doing this for the next generation to inspire so many different people but especially young girls to go, “I’ll go to space in the future.” No limitations,’” Perry said in an interview with the Associated Press.
The pop icon said she had been preparing for the launch by reading work from Carl Sagan and other scientists.
“I was listening to ‘Cosmos’ by Carl Sagan and reading a book on string theory,” she said. “I’ve always been interested in astrophysics and interested in astronomy and astrology and the stars. We are all made of stardust and we all come from the stars.”
She added, “I’m really excited about the engineering of it all. I’m excited to learn more about STEM and just the math about what it takes to accomplish this type of thing.”
How long will the crew be in space?
NS-31 had months of anticipation — but how long will the crew actually be in space for? Perhaps not as long as you might think.
The flight time for NS-31 is approximately 11 minutes from lift off to touch down, NBC’s Priscilla Thompson said during a segment on Sunday TODAY.
“The 11-minute ride won’t achieve orbit, but it will send the crew soaring past the Kármán Line, the unofficial boundary of space,” Thompson said.
The experience of weightlessness will be about four minutes, Thompson added.
How Lauren Sánchez helped design the blue space suits
Fashion brand MONSE created the space suit that Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez will wear to space.
The brand said in an Instagram Story the idea began when Sánchez wore a cardigan and vest from the Fall 2024 collection featuring a woman in space dressed in a space suit with the words “Out Of This World.”
"MONSE is proud to take part in a historic milestone with Blue Origin: the launch of its first all-female crewed spaceflight, a moment that redefines the boundaries of possibility," the brand said in an Instagram post.
Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia founded MONSE in 2015 and also serve as creative directors for Oscar de la Renta.
According to the New York Times, Sánchez reached out to MONSE to initiate the collaboration.
“I think the suits are elegant, but they also bring a little spice to space," Sánchez told the New York Times of the suits.
Meet the all women crew aboard NS-31
The six crew members aboard Blue Origin's next New Shepard mission, NS-31, include singer Katy Perry, CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King, Jeff Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sanchez and more, marking the first all-female flight crew since Valentina Tereshkova's journey in 1963.
Here's what to know about the six women on board, according to descriptions provided by Blue Origin:
Aisha Bowe
"Aisha is a former NASA rocket scientist, entrepreneur, and global STEM advocate. She is the CEO of STEMBoard, an engineering firm recognized twice on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies, and the founder of LINGO, an edtech company on a mission to equip one million students with essential tech skills. Of Bahamian heritage, Aisha hopes her journey from community college to space will inspire young people in the Bahamas and around the world to pursue their dreams."
Amanda Nguyen
"Amanda is a bioastronautics research scientist. She graduated from Harvard, and conducted research at Harvard Center for Astrophysics, MIT, NASA, and International Institute for Astronautical Sciences. Amanda worked on the last NASA shuttle mission, STS-135, and the Kepler exoplanet mission. For her advocacy for sexual violence survivors, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and awarded TIME’s Woman of the Year. As the first Vietnamese and Southeast Asian woman astronaut, Amanda’s flight is a symbol of reconciliation between the United States and Vietnam, and will highlight science as a tool for peace."
Gayle King
"Gayle is an award-winning journalist, co-host of CBS Mornings, editor-at-large of Oprah Daily, and the host of Gayle King in the House on SiriusXM radio. In a career spanning decades, King has been recognized as a gifted, compassionate interviewer able to break through the noise and create meaningful conversations. As someone who is staying open to new adventures, even ones that scare her, Gayle is honored to be part of Blue Origin’s first all-female flight team and is looking forward to stepping out of her comfort zone."
Katy Perry
"Katy is the biggest-selling female artist in Capitol Records’ history and one of the best-selling music artists of all time with over 115 billion streams. Aside from being a global pop superstar, Katy is an active advocate of many philanthropic causes, including as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador where she uses her powerful voice to ensure every child’s right to health, education, equality, and protection, and her own Firework Foundation, which empowers children from underserved communities by igniting their inner light through the arts. Katy is honored to be a part of Blue Origin’s first all-female crew and hopes her journey encourages her daughter and others to reach for the stars, literally and figuratively."
Kerianne Flynn
"After a successful career in fashion and human resources, Kerianne Flynn has spent the last decade channeling her energy into community-building through board service and nonprofit work with The Allen-Stevenson School, The High Line, and Hudson River Park. Passionate about the transformative power of storytelling, Kerianne has produced thought-provoking films such as This Changes Everything (2018), which explores the history of women in Hollywood, and LILLY (2024), a powerful tribute to fair-pay advocate Lilly Ledbetter. Kerianne has always been drawn to exploration, adventure, and space, and hopes her Blue Origin space flight serves as an inspiration for her son, Dex, and the next generation of dreamers to reach for the stars."
Lauren Sánchez
"Lauren is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, New York Times bestselling author, pilot, Vice Chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, and mother of three. In 2016, Sánchez, a licensed helicopter pilot, founded Black Ops Aviation, the first female-owned and operated aerial film and production company. Sánchez released her New York Times bestselling debut children’s book, 'The Fly Who Flew to Space,' in 2024. Her work in aviation earned her the Elling Halvorson Vertical Flight Hall of Fame Award in 2024 for her expertise as a helicopter pilot and aviation businesswoman. Sánchez’s goal is to inspire the next generation of explorers."
How to watch the Blue Origin rocket liftoff
There are a few ways to watch this all-female flight: You can livestream the 11-minute space flight on YouTube starting at 8 a.m., though liftoff isn't until 9:30 a.m.
A video stream will also be shown on Blue Origin's website, and will be available to watch live on CBS and Paramount+.
What time is liftoff?
The next Blue Origin New Shepard mission, called NS-31, with an all-female crew of Katy Perry, Gayle King, Lauren Sanchez and more is set to take off from Launch Site One in West Texas on April 14.
The launch window begins at 9:30 a.m. ET, according to Blue Origin's website.