Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launches Lauren Sanchez, Katy Perry & Gayle King in historic all-female space mission

In a landmark moment for space tourism and gender representation, Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company Blue Origin launched an all-female crew into space on Monday, led by his fiancée Lauren Sanchez.

The flight also featured pop star Katy Perry and “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King, marking a significant milestone in both celebrity-driven space travel and the inclusion of women in aerospace history.

The launch is part of the growing trend in commercial spaceflight, where the wealthy, influential, and connected are increasingly taking to the skies—no longer restricted to career astronauts.


Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket lifted off from West Texas on a suborbital journey that soared 65 miles (105 kilometers) above Earth, giving the six women on board a few minutes of weightlessness before descending back to the desert floor.

Meet Blue Origin's all-female crew

Sanchez, a helicopter pilot and former TV journalist, personally invited the crew members and curated a powerful group of women to join her on the 10-minute fully automated flight. Joining Perry and King were film producer Kerianne Flynn; former NASA engineer and STEM entrepreneur Aisha Bowe; and planetary scientist and activist Amanda Nguyen, who has been a fierce advocate for survivors of sexual violence.

Blue Origin did not disclose how much the flight cost or who funded it. The high-profile journey came just two months before Sanchez and Bezos are scheduled to marry in Venice, adding a deeply personal touch to the high-stakes mission.

This was the 11th human spaceflight by Blue Origin, which was founded by Bezos in 2000 following his success with Amazon. Bezos himself flew aboard the company’s first crewed spaceflight in 2021 and accompanied Monday’s crew to the launch pad. Since then, Blue Origin has carried 58 people into space—ranging from YouTubers and business leaders to scientific pioneers and celebrities.

Notably, this launch made history as the first all-female spaceflight from U.S. soil where every seat was filled by a woman. It was only the second such instance in all of human spaceflight, the first being Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s solo mission in 1963. Tereshkova spent three days in orbit, becoming the first woman in space.

Women make up less than 15% of all space travellers

Even now, women make up less than 15% of the more than 700 people who have traveled beyond Earth's atmosphere. Sanchez said she deliberately assembled an all-female crew to change that narrative and to inspire both young girls and women to dream big. She even commissioned custom flight suits for the occasion.

“It’s an important moment for the future of commercial space travel and for humanity in general—and for women all around,” Perry told the Associated Press before liftoff.

The event attracted a host of notable attendees, including Oprah Winfrey and several women who have previously flown on private spaceflights. The launch was yet another step in Blue Origin’s effort to blend science, spectacle, and access in an industry long dominated by institutional players like NASA and Roscosmos.

Blue Origin's rise over the years

Blue Origin has made a name for itself in recent years by inviting celebrities on its flights. In 2021, “Star Trek” legend William Shatner traveled to space with the company at age 90, becoming the oldest person to do so. Former NFL star and TV host Michael Strahan, and Laura Shepard Churchley—daughter of Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard—also took part in subsequent missions. Aviation pioneers like Wally Funk and Ed Dwight, who had been overlooked for space travel in their earlier years, finally saw their dreams realized aboard Blue Origin flights.

While Blue Origin doesn’t publicize ticket prices, the opportunity to fly has mostly been available to a mix of VIPs, media personalities, tech entrepreneurs, and influencers. Competitors in the private space race have also pushed the boundaries. Elon Musk’s SpaceX offers multi-day orbital trips and performed the first private spacewalk with billionaire Jared Isaacman, who is now under consideration as NASA's next administrator. Meanwhile, the Russian space agency has also hosted tourists, including an actress who filmed aboard the International Space Station.

Most recently, Chinese-born bitcoin investor Chun Wang made headlines by funding the first spaceflight to traverse both the north and south poles—a mission that included three polar explorers and was entirely bankrolled by Wang himself.

As the commercial space race accelerates, Monday’s Blue Origin mission was more than a celebrity stunt—it was a powerful cultural statement. With a crew handpicked to represent brilliance, bravery, and inspiration, Lauren Sanchez’s flight not only broke through the atmosphere but also shattered stereotypes.

(With inputs from the Associated Press)