Katy Perry and Gayle King are heading to space as part of an all-female Blue Origin crew
Have you ever thought to yourself, Man, I wish some notable women in pop culture would go explore space sometime soon? Well, fear not dear reader, because your dreams are coming true.
Three things to know:
- Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ space exploration company Blue Origin announced its next human flight for its New Shepard program Thursday. The 11-minute suborbital flight is scheduled for sometime this spring.
- The crew was selected by Bezos’ fiancée and journalist Lauren Sánchez, who will be joined on the spacecraft by Katy Perry, Gayle King and other notable figures: scientist Amanda Nguyen, entrepreneur Aisha Bowe and filmmaker Kerianne Flynn.
- Blue Origin says that this is the 11th human flight for the New Shepard program, and the 31st in its history. This is also the first all-female flight crew since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s solo spaceflight in 1963.
Listen to NPR’s Short Wave podcast for more discoveries, everyday mysteries and the science behind the headlines.
Trouble with space travel?
The announcement of Blue Origin’s newest, highly publicized space mission comes just weeks after the company reportedly laid off 10% of its workforce, according to the Associated Press.
In an email to staff, CEO Dave Limp cited unsustainably fast growth necessitating the cuts, and needing to focus more on manufacturing.
Dive deeper with NPR:
- For a refresher on Blue Origin’s last star-studded mission, check out our coverage from 2021.
- Want to understand the impact of tech on your body and how to live better with your devices? Subscribe to the Body Electric newsletter.
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