Katy Perry, Gayle King and Lauren Sánchez are among the six women set to travel beyond Earth's atmosphere on New Shepard's NS-31 mission this spring. Olivia Palamountain reports

Blue Origin has today revealed the six-person space flight crew for its upcoming NS-31 mission, an all-female roster featuring celebrities, an astronaut and Jeff Bezos' own partner.

The crew will consist of entrepreneur Aisha Bowe, activist Amanda Nguyen, CBS broadcaster Gayle King, singer Katy Perry, pilot Kerianne Flynn and media personality Lauren Sánchez, who played a key role in assembling the team.

Sánchez, who is engaged to Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, will lead the mission and aims to challenge the crew's perspectives of Earth while empowering them to share their stories and create lasting inspiration for future generations.

As reported by The Daily Mail, Lauren, expressed her excitement over the upcoming flight in a video shared on Instagram.

"If someone would have told me that I would be able to go to space one day, I would have definitely laughed", she says. "I can't believe it's happening. My dad used to teach people how to fly and I used to hang around the hanger, and I thought dreaming of becoming a pilot was a huge deal. And this is even bigger!"

She continues: "The incredible women that are going on this flight are extraordinary in all of their fields, but more importantly they are incredible storytellers. So, what I'm hoping that this flight is transformative for them but also for all of the people they tell their story to. Hopefully it sparks that imagination to dream big and reach for the stars."

The flight, scheduled for launch this spring, will be the 11th human mission for Blue Origin's New Shepard programme and the 31st in its history. To date, the company has transported 52 people above the Kármán line, which at 100 kilometres above Earth's mean sea level represents the internationally recognised boundary of space.

Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft, named after American astronaut Alan Shepard, takes passengers on a suborbital journey that typically lasts around 10-12 minutes from launch to landing, with a few minutes of weightlessness at the apex of the flight.

The company has not disclosed the cost per seat for this mission, though previous tickets have reportedly sold for millions of dollars. Those interested in flying on future New Shepard missions can apply through Blue Origin's website.

Meet the NS-31 Crew

Aisha Bowe

Aisha is a former NASA rocket scientist, entrepreneur and global STEM advocate. She is the CEO of STEMBoard, an engineering firm recognised twice on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies, and the founder of LINGO, an edtech company on a mission to equip one million students with essential tech skills. Of Bahamian heritage, Aisha hopes her journey from community college to space will inspire young people in the Bahamas and around the world to pursue their dreams.

Amanda Nguyen

Amanda is a bioastronautics research scientist. She graduated from Harvard, and conducted research at Harvard Center for Astrophysics, MIT, NASA, and International Institute for Astronautical Sciences. Amanda worked on the last NASA shuttle mission, STS-135, and the Kepler exoplanet mission. For her advocacy for sexual violence survivors, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and awarded TIME’s Woman of the Year. As the first Vietnamese and Southeast Asian woman astronaut, Amanda’s flight is a symbol of reconciliation between the United States and Vietnam, and will highlight science as a tool for peace.

Gayle King

Gayle is an award-winning journalist, co-host of CBS Mornings, editor-at-large of Oprah Daily, and the host of Gayle King in the House on SiriusXM radio. In a career spanning decades, King has been recognised as a gifted, compassionate interviewer able to break through the noise and create meaningful conversations. As someone who is staying open to new adventures, even ones that scare her, Gayle is honoured to be part of Blue Origin’s first all-female flight team and is looking forward to stepping out of her comfort zone.

Katy Perry

Katy is the biggest-selling female artist in Capitol Records’ history and one of the best-selling music artists of all time with over 115 billion streams. Aside from being a global pop superstar, Katy is an active advocate of many philanthropic causes, including as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador where she uses her powerful voice to ensure every child’s right to health, education, equality, and protection, and her own Firework Foundation, which empowers children from underserved communities by igniting their inner light through the arts. Katy is honoured to be a part of Blue Origin's first all-female crew and hopes her journey encourages her daughter and others to reach for the stars, literally and figuratively.

Kerianne Flynn

After a successful career in fashion and human resources, Kerianne Flynn has spent the last decade channeling her energy into community-building through board service and nonprofit work with The Allen-Stevenson School, The High Line, and Hudson River Park. Passionate about the transformative power of storytelling, Kerianne has produced thought-provoking films such as This Changes Everything (2018), which explores the history of women in Hollywood, and LILLY (2024), a powerful tribute to fair-pay advocate Lilly Ledbetter. Kerianne has always been drawn to exploration, adventure and space, and hopes her Blue Origin space flight serves as an inspiration for her son, Dex, and the next generation of dreamers to reach for the stars.

Lauren Sánchez

Lauren is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, New York Times bestselling author, pilot, Vice Chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, and mother of three. In 2016, Sánchez, a licensed helicopter pilot, founded Black Ops Aviation, the first female-owned and operated aerial film and production company. Sánchez released her New York Times bestselling debut children's book, The Fly Who Flew to Space, in 2024. Her work in aviation earned her the Elling Halvorson Vertical Flight Hall of Fame Award in 2024 for her expertise as a helicopter pilot and aviation businesswoman. Sánchez’s goal is to inspire the next generation of explorers.