Blue Origin achieved its first all-female crewed space mission on April 14, 2025. Six women flew aboard the New Shepard rocket to the edge of space, achieving a milestone in civilian space exploration. The mission, officially titled NS-31, took just over 10 minutes and climbed to an altitude of 62 miles above the Earth’s surface. This gave the crew the ability to traverse the Kármán line, the generally accepted point of outer space.
The mission was entirely autonomous and didn’t need to be operated manually. Among the crew were celebrities like journalist Gayle King, pop star Katy Perry, and Lauren Sánchez, who is engaged to Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos. The other three members were aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn.
In the course of their short stay in space, the participants had a feeling of weightlessness and saw the Earth from a top-down perspective. Katy Perry performed a rendition of “What a Wonderful World” on board, infusing the event with cultural significance. Custom-designed space suits, designed by Monse with Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim as head designers, added a symbolic and visual touch to the mission.
Supporters and guests attended the launch, including Oprah Winfrey. She expressed a touching response to seeing her close friend Gayle King overcome an intense fear of flying to embark on the mission.
The flight did not involve scientific research or technical goals but was intended to expand civilian participation in space travel. It combined individuals from many fields who have each made a contribution in their own right.
By undertaking this mission, Blue Origin continues to open up participation in space beyond the usual government or scientific circles. The NS-31 flight showed that access to space is becoming increasingly inclusive, with representation from various professions and backgrounds.
This mission is a spaceflight milestone, marking a transition to increasing levels of public participation. As private spaceflight organizations plan more missions of this sort, efforts like these could stimulate greater interest in other industries not heretofore associated with space exploration.
