And they\u2019re off like a firework.<\/p>\n
Blue Origin\u2019s New Shepard rocket took off Monday morning with its star-studded, glammed-up, all-female crew, including\u00a0singer Katy Perry<\/a>, Jeff Bezos\u2019 fianc\u00e9e Lauren Sanchez, and \u201cCBS Mornings\u201d co-host Gayle King.<\/p>\n The New Shepard 31 soared through the Texas sky with\u00a0the three celebrities<\/a>\u00a0and crewmates Amanda Nguyen, Aisha Bowe and Kerianne Flynn, who enjoyed just a few minutes in space before returning to Earth as part of a historic 11-minute space tourism flight.<\/p>\n (Clockwise from lower left) Lauren Sanchez, Amanda Nguyen, Katy Perry, Gayle King, Aisha Bowe and Kerianne Flynn flew on Blue Origin\u2019s all-female crew Monday morning. Katy Perry\/Instagram<\/p>\n Katy Perry poses in a \u201cglam\u201d body-hugging spacesuit ahead of the rocket launch. Katy Perry\/Instagram<\/p>\n \u201cOh my goddess!\u201d Perry could be heard yelling when taking a peek at the moon from their sky-high vantage point.\u00a0<\/p>\n The women flew about 62 miles above the Earth, just above the Karman Line designating outer space \u2014 where they caught sight of the void of space, the moon, and the blue planet.<\/p>\n Given the short duration of the flight, the crew only got to experience about four minutes of weightlessness.\u00a0<\/p>\n After their brief stint in space, the women came back for a soft parachute landing back in the Texas desert, with their thrilled screams heard reverberating through the microphones inside the capsule.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jeff Bezos\u2019 fianc\u00e9e,\u00a0Lauren Sanchez, will enjoy around 11 minutes in outer space before returning to Earth as part of the historic space tourism flight. Lauren Sanchez\/Instagram<\/p>\n Katy Perry puts her hand over her heart before setting off into space. Blue Origin<\/p>\n The rocket launched on Monday, April 14, 2025. REUTERS<\/p>\n The crowds looking on at the Texas launch site roared with cheers and applause as they welcomed the women back to Earth.<\/p>\n Bezos was the first at the scene to greet his fianc\u00e9e and the rest of the crew as they exited the capsule.<\/p>\n The women could be heard laughing and cheering as they exited the vehicle, with Sanchez giving Bezos a hug and Perry giving a quick smooch to the Earth below as she\u2019s happy to be back home.\u00a0<\/p>\n Oprah Winfrey reacts to the historic launch. Blue Origin<\/p>\n Jeff Bezos watches as the historic all-female Blue Origin flight takes off. Blue Origin<\/p>\n New Shepard\u2019s 11th human flight, NS-31, launching from West Texas, with a white and blue rocket in the sky. Blue Origin<\/p>\n Perry also revealed that she sang Louis Armstrong\u2019s \u201cWhat a Wonderful World\u201d during the historic flight rather than one of her own songs to celebrate humanity.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think that is not about me. It\u2019s not about singing my songs. It\u2019s about a collective energy in there. It\u2019s about us,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about making space for future women and taking up space and belonging. And it\u2019s about this wonderful world that we see right out there and appreciating it,\u201d she added. \u201cThis is all for the benefit of Earth.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The shuttle returned safely after its launch. Blue Origin<\/p>\n Perry added that she will be writing a new song based on the once-in-a-lifetime experience.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n King also bowed down to kiss the Earth, laughing as she said, \u201cOh my God, that was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really quiet and peaceful,\u201d she added. \u201cIt\u2019s such a reminder about how we need to do better, be better. Do better, be better human beings.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t put it into words. We got to see the moon!\u201d Sanchez said. \u201cThe Earth looked so quiet \u2026 I don\u2019t think you could describe it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The parachute is deployed after the shuttle returned. Blue Origin<\/p>\n Nguyen, Flynn and Bowe were all in tears after fulfilling their dreams, with Nguyen revealing that she saw the experience as an opportunity \u201cto heal\u201d from the sexual assault that upended her STEM studies years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c[I\u2019m] so grateful to everyone who made it a reality,\u201d Nguyen said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis mum went to space,\u201d Flynn cheered in victory.<\/p>\n Among the big-name attendees at the launch site were Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Khloe Kardashian, who were there to support the crew.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re here to support our girlfriend and our friends, and I never thought that we\u2019d be talking to you from a space launch for sure,\u201d Jenner said.<\/p>\n Jeff Bezos embraces Lauren Sanchez after the crew returned safely from the flight. Blue Origin<\/p>\n Bezos was there in the pre-launch to wish the women luck and give a kiss to Sanchez, telling her the thrilling experience will \u201cchange\u201d her forever.<\/p>\n Perry\u2019s daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom, could be seen with her eyes glued to the sky as she watched her mother take off and return to Earth safely.\u00a0<\/p>\n The voyage marks the first all-female space trip since\u00a0Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova<\/a>\u2018s solo flight in 1963.<\/p>\n Amanda Nguyen steps off the flight after returning. Blue Origin<\/p>\n