Move over boys, ’cause space just got a glow up. In a moment that felt more like a scene from a futuristic film than real life, Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-31 launched on April 14, 2025, carrying six powerhouse women on a suborbital trip beyond the Earth’s atmosphere – a historic mission featuring the first all-female crewed spaceflight since 1963.

The six-member team included journalist Gayle King, singer Katy Perry, philanthropist Lauren Sánchez, former NASA engineer Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn. Here’s everything you need to know about the mission, the iconic women on board, and why this isn’t just another billionaire space jaunt.

A Quick Guide to Blue Origin

Founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos in 2000, Blue Origin is one of the key players in the new space race – alongside SpaceX and Virgin Galactic. Its focus? Making space travel more accessible (eventually) through reusable rockets and suborbital spaceflights.

Think of their New Shepard rocket as the sleek, high-tech space shuttle for the space-curious elite. It’s designed for brief but powerful journeys, just enough to cross the Kármán line (the official edge of space), experience weightlessness for a few minutes, and glide safely back to Earth.

The April 14th flight was the 31st mission of New Shepard, but the first-ever all-female crewed mission in Blue Origin’s history.

The Women Who Took Space by Storm

This wasn’t your average astronaut lineup. These six women brought brains, beauty, bravery, and a whole lot of ambition to space.

Lauren Sánchez – Pilot, Emmy award-winning journalist, and vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund. She curated and led the mission, with a focus on inspiring women and girls to dream (way) bigger.

Gayle King – TV royalty, CBS Mornings anchor, and Oprah’s ride-or-die. Known for keeping her feet on the ground – literally – Gayle shocked fans (and herself) by conquering her fear of flying to make it to space.

Katy Perry – Pop icon, fashion chameleon, and space mom. Katy joined the mission to set an example for her daughter, Daisy, proving you can be glam and groundbreaking at the same time.

Aisha Bowe – Rocket scientist turned tech entrepreneur. Aisha is the founder of STEMBoard and a former NASA engineer. She soared repping the Bahamas with pride and the call sign, Exuma.

Amanda Nguyen – Civil rights champion and founder of Rise. Amanda added “astronaut” to her already impressive résumé, becoming the first Vietnamese American woman in space.

Kerianne Flynn – A producer with a passion for female-led stories, Kerianne used this mission to shine a spotlight on women in science and space – and the media narratives that shape our dreams.

The mission may have lasted just minutes, but the emotions that followed? Timeless. As the capsule touched down, the moment hit home. Katy Perry and Gayle King knelt to kiss the Earth, overwhelmed with awe, gratitude, and probably a good dose of disbelief. Oprah, watching from the sidelines, was visibly emotional as her best friend stepped out of the capsule with the largest grin.

Critics called it a vanity project. The women onboard called it something else: transformative. They spoke of the wonder of seeing Earth from above, of the camaraderie that built up in training, and of what it meant to represent women, people of colour, and dreamers in one of the most exclusive clubs on (and off) the planet.

What Actually Happens On a Blue Origin Flight?

Unlike the long-haul journeys of conventional astronauts, Blue Origin’s New Shepard missions are designed for short but spectacular experiences. The April 14th launch was no exception – a sleek, suborbital trip that lasted just over 10 minutes from liftoff to landing. Despite the short duration, what happens in those few minutes is nothing short of extraordinary.

After a dramatic vertical launch, the rocket soared past the Kármán line – the internationally recognised edge of space – giving the crew a coveted glimpse of the Earth from above. For a few glorious minutes, the capsule hovered in weightlessness, allowing the women to float, laugh, and take in the view. Then, the descent began, ending with a smooth parachute-assisted landing in the West Texas desert. The spacecraft, entirely automated, required no piloting at all.

Inside, the capsule resembles a futuristic lounge more than a space shuttle. With plush seats, massive windows, and panoramic views, it offers an experience that’s part sci-fi fantasy, part spiritual awakening.

Why Was This Flight Such a Big Deal?

This mission was a cultural milestone in itself. The April 14th launch marked the first all-female crewed mission in Blue Origin’s history, which is a bold step toward more diverse representation in space exploration. Beyond gender, each of the six women brought their own form of trailblazing energy to the mission.

Amanda Nguyen became the first Vietnamese American woman in space, while Aisha Bowe joined the ranks of the few black women astronauts in history. Gayle King, a broadcast legend and self-proclaimed nervous flyer, conquered her fear of air travel in the most dramatic way possible – by leaving Earth altogether. And Lauren Sánchez? She became the first woman to personally curate and lead a private space mission, ensuring every seat was filled with purpose and power.

This was a spaceflight that rewrote the narrative. It was about visibility, representation, and the power of telling new stories from the edge of the cosmos.

What Comes Next?

This flight was a message in itself, loud and clear. For far too long, the space narrative has been dominated by a narrow archetype: white, male, military or scientific. This mission altered it once and for all, saying “space is for all of us.”

The crew’s backgrounds were diverse – science, entertainment, activism, journalism – and that was the point. They shattered the idea that you have to fit a certain mould to dream of the stars. Their presence sent a signal to girls around the world: you don’t have to be an astronaut to reach space – you just have to believe it’s possible.

For Blue Origin, this launch marks a pivotal shift from spectacle to storytelling. With New Shepard flights expected to continue throughout the year, and future missions likely to include more artists, educators, and changemakers, space is starting to look a lot more like the world we actually live in.

As for this crew? They’ve sparked conversations, inspired movements, and opened new doors – not just in aerospace, but in media, fashion, philanthropy, and beyond. Whether the next flight includes another girl gang or an entirely new constellation of firsts, one thing’s for sure: space just got a lot more interesting.

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Featured image: Blue Origin