Blue Origin Launches Historic All-Female Crew into Space

Blue Origin successfully launched its New Shepard rocket on Monday at approximately 9:30 a.m. ET, marking a significant milestone in space exploration. The mission celebrated the first all-female crew to ever travel to space in 1963. It made clear the growing number of women participating in the field of astronautics. The crew included some of the futurist movement’s brightest stars. These included pop artist Katy Perry, “CBS Mornings” anchor Gayle King, film producer Kerianne Flynn, Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sánchez, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe.

The colorful, talented, and diverse crew contributed a wealth of experience, time, and perspectives to the flight. That launch was just a tiny facet of Blue Origin’s big push to create an inclusive and welcoming colorful culture within the aerospace industry.

This mission also represented Blue Origin’s 31st flight of the reusable New Shepard rocket. It was in fact their 11th crewed mission to date. The historic all-female crew has already created tremendous buzz. Blue Origin has come under fire for being perceived as an elitist plaything for the rich. Prospective participants are required to cough up $150,000 just to hold a place on these missions, making space travel seem unattainable for the average person.

The importance of the mission was highlighted by some powerful comments made by musician Katy Perry right before launch. She emphasized the importance of environmental stewardship, stating, “It won’t be about me; it will be about the beautiful Earth we get to see. I think the perspective we’re all going to walk away with is, ‘Oh my gosh, we have to protect our mother.’”

Blue Origin must be over the moon with this historic flight. In parallel, they’re preparing for a second launch of their New Glenn rocket, targeted for this spring. The company’s culture is one of radical innovation and exploration. This dedication is just one example of its commitment to increasing access to space and growing diversity within the industry.