Katy Perry and Gayle King Blast Off to Space: All You Need to Know About Blue Origin's Upcoming Launch

A historic event will take place on Monday as an an all-female team blasts off into space from West Texas.

Pop star Katy Perry, TV personality Gayle King, and journalist Lauren Sanchez are part of a group of six women set to embark. Blue Origin's NS-31 mission , scheduled for launch on Monday, April 14.

The other team members consist of ex-NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn.

In the course of their 11-minute trip, the New Shepard's crew will ascend beyond the "Kármán line," which is universally acknowledged as the edge of outer space. During this adventure, they'll enjoy multiple minutes of zero gravity and observe breathtaking vistas of our planet through windows covering over a third of the spacecraft's interior walls.

The firm, which is under the ownership of billionaire Jeff Bezos, claims this will be the first all-female mission since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova's lone journey into space in 1963.

Blue Origin launch site

The launch is occurring at Launch Site One Located in the desert Southwest, about 30 miles north of Van Horn, a live stream is set to start at 6 a.m. Mountain Time / 7 a.m. Central Time, with the launch window opening at 7:30 a.m. Mountain Time / 8:30 a.m. Central Time.

Who owns Blue Origin?

Blue Origin is owned by Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon.

Who else has participated in a Blue Origin space mission?

By February 2025, New Shepard had transported a total of 52 individuals to space, encompassing those who have traveled multiple times, and had completed 10 crewed missions. as stated in a press release.

The final mission in February featured Lane Bess, Jesús Calleja, Elaine Chia Hyde, Dr. Richard Scott, Tushar Shah, along with an unnamed additional team member.

In July 2021 , New Shepard conducted its inaugural flight with passengers to outer space, including founder Jeff Bezos, his sibling Mark Bezos, Wally Funk, and Oliver Daemen.

In 2021, "Star Trek" star William Shatner and Good Morning America presenter Michael Strahan blasted off aboard one of Blue Origin's rockets.

Blue Origin flight cost

Based on an internet questionnaire On the Blue Origin site, a $150,000 refundable down payment is needed to secure a spot.

Natassia Paloma can be contacted at npaloma@gannett.com @NatassiaPaloma on Twitter; natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma Thompson on Facebook.

The article initially appeared on El Paso Times: Blue Origin Launch Site: Katy Perry and Gayle King Head to Space on Monday. Here’s What You Need to Know