Blue Origin launches star-studded crew on space tourism rocket

We’ve wrapped up our live coverage of Blue Origin’s all-female, suborbital space tourism mission. Scroll through the posts below to relive the event as it unfolded.

Blue Origin shared footage of the six New Shepard passengers who were on board today’s flight as the crew experienced weightlessness. The group spent about four minutes in microgravity at the peak of their flight path.

Short snippets from the brief stay in microgravity show the crew laughing as they float about the cabin. They gathered at the center of the 4-yard-wide New Shepard capsule and chanted: “One, two, three: Take up space!”

Katy Perry can also been seen holding up a daisy to the camera, an homage to the flower for which she named her daughter. Perry also said she admires daisies because some people consider them to be weeds — growing through cracks and crevices where other plants cannot. Later in the footage, Perry held up a butterfly with a track list for her upcoming tour on it.

All six passengers from today’s New Shepard mission participated in a news briefing. Blue Origin shared the event on social media, and you can watch the full playback here:

At the 13:45 mark, Blue Origin shares footage of how the group reacted as they reached weightlessness at the top of their flight path.

In this screenshot from video, Aisha Bowe speaks to the press after the Blue Origin New Shepard flight in West Texas, on Monday.

Aisha Bowe, a former NASA engineer who was on board today’s New Shepard flight, also spoke about the pushback that the mission has elicited.

“I wish those who are criticizing the mission could read the messages in my inbox,” Bowe said.

In this screenshot from video, Gayle King speaks to the press after the Blue Origin New Shepard flight in West Texas, on Monday.

During a post-flight news briefing held at Blue Origin’s Texas facilities, Gayle King acknowledged that not everyone has been excited and cheering for this mission.

Actress Olivia Munn notably called the mission “gluttonous.”

But King said she is referring to her experience as a “journey” — not a “ride.”

“This is a freaking journey — that was not a ride. It was not a joyride.”

“We’ve had some cranky Yankees and haters,” King added. “I’ve heard 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.”

Former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino speaks to CNN on Monday.

Michael Massimino, professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia University and a former NASA astronaut, shared his thoughts on space tourism and celebrities going to space on air with CNN.

“These are things that get people’s attention, and then they hear Katy Perry or Gayle King talking about their experiences, and maybe they’ll get to learn a little bit more about the space program and about achieving goals. I think that is what the value is here,” he said during an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown.

“The future, I think, is really unlimited, now that it’s not just governments going to space but also it’s commercial companies. I think the possibilities are really exciting,” he added.

Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket lifts off from West Texas on Monday.

The company shard specific data from today’s flight on social media, revealing that the New Shepard capsule that carried Katy Perry, Gayle King and their crewmates to space hit 346,802 feet above ground level (AGL) and 350,449 above mean sea level (MSL). That translates to 106 kilometers and 107 kilometers, respectively.

That’s well above the Kármán line, a point at 100 kilometers (62 miles) that is often used to define the altitude at which air space ends and outer space begins. (Read more about the Kármán line and why it’s controversial here).

The capsule landed precisely at 8:40:21 a.m. CDT (9:40 a.m. ET) — marking almost exactly 10 and a half minutes of flight time.

Dave Limp, a former Amazon executive who was tapped to run Blue Origin in 2023, shared a photo of himself with the six female passengers who made up today’s New Shepard crew.

In addition to New Shepard, Limp oversees Blue Origin projects including New Glenn — the company’s orbital rocket that made its flight debut earlier this year — as well as Blue Moon, a planned orbital space station; and Blue Ring, a spacecraft designed to essentially serve as an in-space rideshare vehicle that can haul satellites across areas of orbit.

Lauren Sanchez brought along a small device that flew underneath her seat during today’s 10-minute excursion to the edge of space.

Flown for Teachers in Space, a US-based nonprofit, the gadget was designed to collect information about the sights and sounds of flight so that schoolkids can get a close understanding of what it’s like to experience a New Shepard flight.

Sanchez shared a bit about the device on social media before the flight.

“The sensors in this payload will measure and record things like acceleration, sound, temp, pressure and more. This is their way of experiencing space through science!” the caption on Sanchez’s post reads.

In this screenshot from video, Katy Perry speaks about her experience aboard the Blue Origin New Shepard flight in West Texas, on Monday.

Katy Perry just offered her first dispatch since landing back on terra firma.

She said the overwhelming emotion she felt during the trip was love.

“It is the highest high,” Perry said, “and it is surrender to the unknown, trust. … I couldn’t recommend this experience more.”

When asked if she would write a song about the journey, she said, “Oh, for sure, 100%.”

Jared Isaacman speaks at a press conference at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in August 2024.

Jared Isaacman, the billionaire CEO of payments platform company Shift4 and a commercial astronaut, congratulated Blue Origin and crew on a successful launch.

“Congratulations to Blue Origin and the NS-31 crew. Opening this incredible frontier—from the few to the many—is the dream,” Isaacman posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Isaacman is President Donald Trump’s pick to be the new head of NASA. The Senate Committee on Commerce held a confirmation hearing for Isaacman on Wednesday but is not expected to vote until after April 28, when the lawmakers reconvene from their break.

Blue Origin spokesperson Bill Kircos told CNN that some passengers on today’s flight are flying free of charge, while others are not. But the company declined to say who paid their way.

Blue Origin has not publicly disclosed its ticket prices. Its chief competitor, Virgin Galactic, has advertised ticket sales for between $250,000 and $450,000.

Blue Origin has flown guests on its rocket before, including figures such as Wally Funk, who flew alongside Bezos in 2021 and was denied a chance to fly with NASA in the 1960s despite being selected for astronaut training.

In this screenshot from video, Gayle King speaks about her experience aboard the Blue Origin New Shepard flight in West Texas, on Monday.

Gayle King, who was openly nervous to fly on today’s mission, just gave a quick interview after returning from space.

“It’s really quiet and peaceful,” she said of the trip. When told she could now claim “astronaut” status, King replied, “I still can’t accept that word.”

But, King added, her trip to view the black cosmic expanse was impactful. “It’s such a reminder about how we need to do better, be better. Do better, be better human beings.”

King also revealed that her crewmate Katy Perry sang in space, offering a few lines of the song “What a Wonderful World.”

In this screenshot from video, Amanda Ngyuen speaks about her experience aboard the Blue Origin New Shepard flight in West Texas on Monday.

Sexual assault survivor and activist Amanda Nguyen brought a hospital bracelet as a “zero G” indicator on today’s mission.

During trips to space, astronauts routinely take along stuffed animals or other objects. The indicators ride loose in the cabin and are intended to float when weightlessness sets in, giving passengers a visible tipoff that they can float in the cabin.

Nguyen said through tears that she went on today’s flight “to heal.” And she took the hospital bracelet that she wore after her assault.

This undated handout photo shows, clockwise from left: Lauren Sanchez, Amanda Nguyen, Katy Perry, Gayle King, Aisha Bowe and Kerianne Flynn in West Texas.

The all-female crew are sporting custom spacesuits designed by Lauren Sanchez. The skin-tight royal blue suits were designed in collaboration with luxury fashion house Monse.

The suits feature flared pant legs and “Blue Origin” in bold writing on the arm and leg, alongside the space company’s trademark feather.

“In a realm once reserved for men, MONSE reimagines what it means to take up space … These custom flight suits mark a new chapter—where femininity and strength ascend together,” the fashion house posted on social media.

In a video posted on her Instagram, Sanchez was seen testing out the design by doing a few squats in it. “Well, they’re comfortable,” she had said.

In this screenshot from video, Katy Perry kisses the ground after exiting the Blue Origin New Shepard capsule in West Texas, on Monday.

The team of passengers on today’s all-female flight is exiting the capsule.

Lauren Sanchez hugged Bezos before turning immediately to find her family. Katy Perry held the daisy flower she took on board with her up to the sky before kissing the ground.

Sanchez said the view from space was not what she expected.

“Earth looked so — it was so quiet,” she said. “And you look at it, and you’re like, ‘We’re all in this together.’”

Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos just arrived at the landing site of the New Shepard capsule. Alongside him is Sarah Knights, who is the designated “Crewmember 7” for this mission.

The Crewmember 7 is a role Blue Origin established to assign an employee to guide New Shepard passengers through their mission. They take the lead in communicating to the passengers and serve as their touchstone back on Earth during flight.

The close-knit relationship makes Knight an honorary passenger, hence the “Crewmember 7” nickname.

In this screenshot from video, the Blue Origin New Shepard capsule lands after the mission in West Texas, on Monday.

A puff of dust just kicked up in the West Texas desert as the New Shepard capsule carrying all six passengers made a safe touchdown.

“Welcome back to Earth,” mission controllers said over the communications loop.

In this screenshot from video, the Blue Origin rocket booster lands in West Texas, on Monday.

The rocket booster that fired Katy Perry, Gayle King and their crewmates to space just returned to Earth for a controlled, upright landing.

Blue Origin hashed out how to bring the vehicles back for a clean touchdown in order to drive down the cost of missions, making the vehicle reusable.

The New Shepard crew capsule is meanwhile parachuting home from space, and the passengers can be heard screaming with excitement on the livestream.

Blue Origin just confirmed “Main Engine Cutoff,” or MECO. The New Shepard capsule then separated from the rocket booster, allowing the crew to continue vaulting upward and ushering in a few minutes of weightlessness for the passengers.

The rocket booster is now heading for an upright landing so that it can be refurbished and reused on future flights. The capsule will deploy parachutes on the way back down to slow its descent.

Blue Origin’s Ariane Cornell confirmed that the crew made it to space, surpassing the Karman line.

The passengers could be heard marveling at the sight of the moon from the capsule.