Fireworks In Space

Written by: Sitara Nair

Hit artist Katy Perry, and a team of other celebrities took on Blue Origin’s all‑female NS‑31 mission from Texas to fulfill a lifelong dream of theirs.   

The Crew

Katy Perry, Amanda Nguyen, Gayle King, Aisha Bowe, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez were the full team of women to experience zero gravity.

Katy Perry: Katy Perry is an American pop singer born on October 25, 1984, who rose to fame for her hit songs and fun style. Her most popular songs included: “I Kissed a Girl,” “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” “Roar,” and “Rise.”. Perry took a break from singing after 2017, but got back in the studio and recently released a new album titled,”143”. This space-adventure was Perry’s first time going into zero-gravity space, and she emphasized that the flight wasn’t just a ride but a true journey, one that made everyone feel they belonged.

Amanda Nguyen is a Vietnamese‑American social entrepreneur, civil rights activist, bioastronautics research scientist, and Blue Origin‑affiliated space traveler. She founded RISE, a civil rights initiative dedicated to supporting survivors of gender‑based violence. In a CBS interview, she explained that “justice to me comes in different forms, and for my personal journey, justice was about going to space,” adding, “for a decade, I gave up my astronaut dreams in order to fight for the rights of gender‑based violence survivors.” Reflecting on her heritage, she made references to her parents’ sacrifices: “They swam so I can fly, crossed the ocean so I can touch the sky.”

Gayle King: Gayle King is a  three‑time Emmy Award winner, beginning her journalism career in local newsrooms in Baltimore and Kansas City before anchoring for nearly two decades in Hartford, Connecticut. In 2019, Time named her one of the “100 Most Influential People,” recognizing her impact on media and public discourse. She fulfilled a lifelong dream by flying to the edge of space aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, with this all‑women crew, she described this mission as a form of personal justice and a tribute to her heritage and family’s sacrifices.

Aisha Bowe: Aisha Bowe (born November 4, 1986) is a Bahamian‑American aerospace engineer, entrepreneur, and STEM advocate. She served as a rocket scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, contributing to propulsion projects and mission planning. She founded STEMBoard, a technology and consulting firm, in 2015. Under her leadership, STEMBoard twice ranked on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest‑growing private U.S. companies. During the flight to space, she honored her Bahamian roots with the call sign “Exuma” and a Bahamas patch, exemplifying how the mission meant more to her than “just a trip to space”.

Kerianne Flynn: Kerianne Flynn is an American film producer and long‑time space enthusiast, best known for her work on independent films and her role on Blue Origin’s historic all‑female NS‑31 mission. A lifelong admirer of space, she signed up as a Virgin Galactic passenger in 2011 and, in February 2025, was announced as part of Blue Origin’s first all‑female NS‑31 crew. Flynn described her spaceflight as an opportunity to inspire her young son and other future generations: “I hope my journey shows that with passion and perseverance, the sky is just the beginning.” 

Lauren Sánchez: Lauren Sánchez (born December 19, 1969, Albuquerque, New Mexico) is an American Emmy Award–winning journalist, media entrepreneur, licensed pilot, and philanthropist. She co‑hosted Good Day LA and Extra, earning multiple Emmy Awards for her on‑air reporting and anchoring. She earned her helicopter pilot’s license at age 46 and founded Black Ops Aviation in 2016, the first female‑owned aerial film production company, providing cinematography services for major TV and film projects. Lauren Sánchez said the flight was profound and loved seeing Earth from space like a precious jewel. She viewed the all‑women mission as a milestone for inclusion in space and the fulfillment of her years‑long dream.

The Flight

Blue Origin’s mission lasted 11 minutes in total, and lifted off from Launch Site One in West Texas. The flight reached 62 miles above Earth's surface to the Kármán line, which is the internationally recognized boundary of space. Blue origin shared that this flight was the first all women flight to take place in six decades, an exciting step for womankind. The flight was incredibly emotional and profound for all the crew, but still exciting nonetheless. For example, much excitement came from Katy Perry’s rendition of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” from space. Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket flew over 100 kilometers above Earth so the crew could float like astronauts for about three minutes. Then parachutes slowed the capsule down, and it landed gently back on Earth about eleven minutes after liftoff.

All in all, the flight was exciting for everyone involved, holding personal value to the crewmembers, making it more than “just a flight to space”. If you were going to space, what song would you sing?