Pop sensation Katy Perry was part of the all-female crew of Blue Origin, which finished its space voyage Monday morning. According to Blue Origin, the approximately 11-minute flight passed the Kármán line, which is thought to be the border between Earth’s atmosphere and space at 62 miles above sea level, and travelled more than 60 miles above Earth.
Perry was joined by Lauren Sanchez, a journalist and helicopter pilot who is engaged to Jeff Bezos, the owner of Blue Origin. Journalist Gayle King, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics research scientist and civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and filmmaker Kerianne Flynn rounded out the crew, according to Blue Origin.
When Perry landed back on Earth and stepped out of the space capsule, she raised her hand to the sky and kissed the ground as a way to show her deep gratitude and connection to the planet. This gesture symbolized her appreciation for being safely back on Earth after the incredible experience of traveling to space.
Perry held a daisy as a tribute to her daughter, adding a personal and loving touch to the moment.
“I feel super-connected to love,” Perry said. “I think this experience has shown me how much love is inside of me.”
In a separate interview, King said that Perry sang “What a Wonderful World” while the group was in space.
Gayle King’s best friend, Oprah Winfrey, who was present at the launch, became very emotional and took off her glasses, crying when the capsule safely landed back on Earth. This showed how deeply moved and proud she was to see her friend complete such a brave and historic journey.
King, who has openly shared her fear of flying, expressed her gratitude by thanking Jesus and Jeff Bezos, the founder of Blue Origin, before she kissed the ground as she stepped out of the capsule.
“I am glad I did it. I have no regrets. I’m stepping away from my comfort zone. I may now get my ears pierced,” King joked. She then followed by paraphrasing a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt: “Courage is doing something that scares you, but you do it anyway.”
The six-person crew discussed their experiences on the flight during a press conference held Monday afternoon at Blue Origin’s facility in Texas.
Sanchez described the trip as “profound,” adding, “I was up there and you see Earth and then you know it’s completely black, but … we got to see the moon and it was in complete and utter darkness and then you look back at Earth and it’s like this jewel.”
King addressed some criticism the space trip has received, saying that she had heard people refer to the trip as a “ride” – a word she said she resents, adding that “journey” is a better descriptor.
“We’ve had some cranky Yankees and haters,” she said. “I’ve heard you. I’m not going to let you. I’m not going to let you steal our joy but most people are really excited and cheering us on and realize what this mission means to young women, young girls and boys, too.”
Perry agreed with describing the trip as a ‘journey,” adding that it was a “supernatural one.”
The firm claims that the Blue Origin mission is the first all-female spaceflight since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s solo voyage in 1963. For almost twenty years following the Soviet launch, NASA’s early astronaut program remained completely male.
Around 8:00 a.m. CDT, the six-member crew stepped out of a staging hanger, followed by a tiny roadway lined with family and friends who cheered and gave high fives as they headed to the launch site.
According to Blue Origin, the launch window opened on Monday at approximately 8:30 a.m. CDT. “I’ve dreamt of going to space for 15 years and tomorrow that dream becomes a reality,” Perry said on social media on Sunday.
The 11th crewed New Shepard flight, which is officially called NS-31, lifted off from the company’s Launch Site One in western Texas.
