Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket made history today with the launch of its first all-women crew, a flight that featured a mix of celebrities, pioneers, and advocates soaring above the Kármán Line on a suborbital mission.
NS-31 all female crew during a group photo after launch. Credit: Blue Origin
Lifting off at 9:30 a.m. Eastern from Launch Site One in West Texas, the NS-31 mission reached a peak altitude of 106 kilometers before safely returning to Earth just over 10 minutes later. The capsule, dubbed RSS Kármán Line, landed after a smooth and uneventful countdown, marking the company’s 11th crewed suborbital mission.
The flight stood out not only for its seamless execution but for its historic passenger list. The six women on board included:
- Aisha Bowe, former NASA engineer and founder of several STEM-focused ventures;
- Kerianne Flynn, a filmmaker and nonprofit collaborator;
- Gayle King, co-host of CBS Mornings;
- Amanda Nguyễn, scientist and human rights advocate;
- Katy Perry, globally recognized pop superstar;
- Lauren Sánchez, pilot, media personality, and fiancée of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos.
NS-31 was the first spaceflight of any kind since 1963 to feature an all-female crew—making it a symbolic moment more than six decades after Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space.
Adding to the spotlight, the crew donned custom-designed flight suits created by a fashion label at Sánchez’s request. The high-profile nature of the passengers attracted prominent guests, including Oprah Winfrey and members of the Kardashian family. Blue Origin also streamed an extended 90-minute pre-flight broadcast to accommodate growing public interest.
Despite the celebratory tone, the mission drew some criticism. Actress Olivia Munn questioned the practical value of the flight in a recent interview, while New York Times columnist Jessica Grose criticized the mission in an op-ed, calling it a “morally vacuous space stunt” in the wake of NASA’s dismissal of Chief Scientist Kate Calvin.
Amid the media buzz, the mission did include an educational payload. Lauren Sánchez carried a small experiment from Teachers in Space, aimed at collecting microgravity data for classroom use.
Today’s launch was New Shepard’s third mission of the year, following a crewed flight in February and a science payload mission that simulated lunar gravity conditions. Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp recently reaffirmed the company’s long-term commitment to the suborbital program, even as attention grows around larger projects like the New Glenn orbital rocket and the Blue Moon lunar lander.
“I do believe New Shepard will be a very good business for us,” Limp said earlier this year, emphasizing the emotional and experiential value of suborbital space travel.
With NS-31 now complete, Blue Origin continues to blend space exploration with public engagement, pushing the boundaries of who gets to experience life above Earth—if only for a few minutes.
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