Blue Origin launches Katy Perry, all-female crew into space, completes safe landing
The Blue Origin rocket carrying Katy Perry and a historic all-female crew into space landed safely after roughly a 10-minute flight on Monday.
Perry took the trip on the Blue Origin New Shepard mission, NS-31, alongside Jeff Bezos' fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, television host Gayle King, film producer Kerianne Flynn, NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe and civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen.
Multiple celebrities were in attendance at the event, including Oprah, a close friend of King's. The mission elapsed 10 minutes and 21 seconds.
"The Crew Capsule reached an apogee of 346,802 ft AGL / 350,449 ft MSL (106 km AGL / 107 km MSL)," Blue Origin wrote on X. "The booster reached an apogee of 346,481 ft AGL / 350,128 ft MSL (106 km AGL / 107 km MSL). Official launch time was 8:30:00 AM CDT / 13:30:00 UTC. Capsule landing occurred at 8:40:21 AM CDT / 13:40:21 UTC."
BLUE ORIGIN LAUNCHES KATY PERRY INTO SPACE WITH FIRST ALL-FEMALE CREW
Perry explained why she sang "What a Wonderful World" in space after touching back down in Texas on the Blue Origin rocket with her all-female crew.
"It’s not about me. It’s not about singing my songs, it’s about a collective energy in there, it’s about us, it’s about making space for future women and taking up space and belonging, and it’s about this wonderful world that we see right out there and appreciating it," Perry said. "This is all for the benefit of Earth."
Perry showed the daisy flower she carried with her into space in honor of her four-year-old daughter, Daisy, whom she shares with Orlando Bloom. Perry's husband and daughter attended the launch.
"I feel super connected to love," Perry said when asked about the daisy. "I think this experience has shown me you never know how much love is inside of you, like how much love you have to give, and how loved you are until the day you launch."
BLUE ORIGIN ROCKET BLASTS OFF WITH ALL-FEMALE CREW
"Daisies are common flowers, but they grow through any condition," she said. "They grow through cement, they grow through cracks, they grow through walls. They are resilient. They are powerful, they are strong, they are everywhere. Flowers are to me, God’s smile, but it’s also a reminder of our beautiful Earth, and the flowers here, and God’s smile, and the beautiful magic that is everywhere all around us, even in a simple daisy. So to really appreciate it, and remember it, and take care of it and protect it."
Perry said the experience of going to space was "second to being a mom."
"That’s why it was hard for me to go, because that’s all my love right there, and I have to surrender and trust that the universe is going to take care of me, protect me and also my family and my daughter," Perry said.
King, who is afraid of flying, said the instructor described her as her "best success story."
"I’m so proud of me right now," King said after the touchdown.
"It’s oddly quiet when you get up there," the TV personality said of reaching space. "It’s really quiet and peaceful, and you look down at the planet and think ‘that’s where we came from?’ To me, it’s such a reminder about how we need to do better, be better. Do better, be better, human beings."
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"It’s so nasty and so vitriolic nowadays," King said. "I mean if everybody could experience that peace that we had up there, and the kindness and what it takes to do what we did. All the people it took to get us up there and get us back safely, I’ll never, ever forget."