US pop star <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music-stage/2025/04/08/katy-perry-concert-2025-abu-dhabi-f1-grand-prix/" target="_blank">Katy Perry</a> soared into space on Monday as part of Blue Origin’s all-women <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/future/space/2025/02/06/does-donald-trumps-dei-ban-put-nasas-artemis-iii-mission-in-peril/" target="_blank">space</a> tourism flight that took off from West Texas. The singer, 40, joined journalist Gayle King, engineer Aisha Bowe, activist Amanda Nguyen, film producer Kerianne Flynn and <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/future/space/2025/04/07/amazon-to-launch-27-satellites-in-space-internet-battle-with-elon-musks-starlink/" target="_blank">Jeff Bezos</a>’s partner <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/us-news/2023/05/23/jeff-bezos-and-lauren-sanchez-are-engaged-reports-say/" target="_blank">Lauren Sanchez</a> on board the New Shepard suborbital rocket. The NS-31 mission launched at 5.30pm GST and lasted 10 minutes, carrying the crew beyond the Karman line, the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and the edge of space, where they experienced weightlessness and saw the curvature of Earth. Oprah Winfrey was at the launch site to support her friend Ms King and reality TV stars Kris Jenner and Khloe Kardashian were present. Ms Perry's British husband Orlando Bloom and daughter Daisy Dove Bloom were also there. The crew was heard screaming with joy during a live broadcast by Blue Origin, but no footage was shown inside the capsule. After the capsule landed, Ms Perry said that the experience was "second to being a mother". "It's not just about going to space - it's the training, the team. It's the whole thing. I couldn't recommend this experience more," she said. Ms Oprah became emotional during the launch event, as she looked up to see the rocket blasting off into the skies. "We’ve been friends. It’ll be 50 years next year. We’ve been friends since we were 21 and 20. And I’ve never been more proud of my friend than today," she said. The capsule landed back at 5.40pm with the help of parachutes. Ms Sanchez exited first, with Mr Bezos welcoming her with a hug. Ms Perry walked out of the capsule with her arms up, holding a daisy flower, brought with her to honour her daughter. She then kissed the ground. "Daisies are common flowers, but they grow through any condition. They go through cements, cracks, walls - they are resilient. They are powerful and strong," said Ms Perry. This was Blue Origin’s 11th human spaceflight, with the most recent one completed on February 25. The company has never publicly disclosed ticket prices, but it collects a $150,000 fully refundable fee to reserve a seat. Virgin Galactic, which has paused its space tourism flights, charged about $450,000 a passenger. Previous flights have also included celebrities such as company founder Mr Bezos, <i>Star Trek</i> actor William Shatner, former NFL player and television personality Michael Strahan, and Laura Shepard Churchley, the daughter of Alan Shepard, the first US astronaut. Anna Hazlett, founder of AzurX, a UAE-based private advisory and investment firm specialising in the space sector, told <i>The National</i> the NS-31 mission would "bring much-needed attention and visibility to human spaceflight”. “An all-female crew aboard Blue Origin is not only a powerful symbol of progress but also a reminder of how accessible space is becoming,” she said. “While I was hoping to see someone from our region represented on this flight, we remain committed to making that a reality in the near future. “The Middle East has so much potential to contribute to the future of space exploration and we are just getting started.” While many in the industry are welcoming the mission as a milestone for women in space, others are not so impressed. Actress Olivia Munn had publicly criticised the flight, calling it unnecessary during an appearance on NBC’s <i>Today with Jenna and Friends</i> show this month. “I know this is not the cool thing to say, but there are so many other things that are so important in the world right now … like, there’s one astronaut. What are you guys going to do up in space?" she said. In the first space era more than 60 years ago, the sector was dominated by men, with women largely excluded from the astronaut corps, engineering teams and decision-making. As of this month, 104 women have travelled to space out of almost 700 people who have crossed the Karman line. In this modern space age, several women have achieved milestones in the industry, including Nasa astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir, who completed the first all-female spacewalk in 2019. Astronaut Wang Yaping became the first Chinese woman to perform a spacewalk in 2021 during the Shenzhou-13 mission. Under the Biden administration, Nasa emphasised diversity in its astronaut corps, including its Artemis programme, a series of missions to the Moon. The agency is planning the Artemis III, a mission marketed as taking "the first woman and person of colour to the Moon". But since President Donald Trump's executive order of ending all diversity, equity and inclusion policies and hiring based on merit, it is unclear whether that would affect the agency's crew selection, which is expected to be announced this year.
