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The fiancee of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos and five other women—including celebrities Gayle King, co-host of CBS Mornings, and pop singer Katy Perry—lifted off aboard the company’s New Shepard launch system on April 14 for a 10-min. ride to and from suborbital space.
New Shepard-31 (NS-31) was Blue Origin’s 11th flight with passengers aboard, and its most prominent crew since Bezos flew aboard New Shepard’s July 2021 crewed debut, and actor William Shatner on the second flight three months later.
Bezos’ fiancee Lauren Sanchez selected her crewmates for NS-31, which lifted off from Blue Origin’s West Texas base at 8:30 a.m. local time/9:30 a.m. EDT. About 2 1/2 min. later, the propulsion module, powered by a single BE-3 liquid-hydrogen and liquid-oxygen powered engine, separated and headed back for a landing near the launch site.
The six-passenger capsule, meanwhile, continued ascending to an altitude of 346,802 ft. above the ground, providing the crew with a view of Earth set against the backdrop of space and a glimpse of the Moon from beyond the atmosphere.
“It was not a ride,” King said in an interview with a Blue Origin webcast host after landing. “This was a bona fide freaking flight.”
King, who was joined at the launch site by personality and friend Oprah Winfrey, described herself as “terrified of flying” and added, “I’m just so proud of me right now. I still can’t believe it. … I’m stepping way out of my comfort zone.”
The women enjoyed a few minutes floating in microgravity and then went back to their seats for the capsule’s return through the atmosphere and parachute landing at the launch site. Once back in their seats, Perry sang for her crewmates the song, “It’s a Wonderful World.”
Joining Sanchez, King and Perry for the 10 min., 21 sec. flight were former NASA aerospace engineer and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) advocate Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and film producer Kerianne Flynn.
With NS-31, Blue Origin has flown 58 people to suborbital space, including four passengers who have flown twice.
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