Blue Origin launches all-female flight with Katy Perry, 5 others

An all-female space flight is set to take off Monday from West Texas, potentially making history as the first all-female space crew since Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova's solo flight in 1963. 

The six women are slated to take a 10-minute flight on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket. It will be the 11th human space flight for Blue Origin, which is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. 

Here’s what to know about the historic flight. 

Who’s going on the all-female Blue Origin flight? 

The all-female crew includes Lauren Sánchez, Bezos’ fiancée; pop star Katy Perry; TV journalist Gayle King; Aisha Bowe, a former NASA rocket scientist who now heads an engineering firm; research scientist Amanda Nguyen, and movie producer Kerianne Flynn.

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Sánchez, a helicopter pilot and former TV journalist, picked the crew, the company said, and worked with the co-founders of Monse clothing brand to design the women’s custom space suits. 

What they're saying:

"Usually, you know, these suits are made for a man," Sánchez told The New York Times. "Then they get tailored to fit a woman."

She showed off the suits on Instagram. 

"I think the suits are elegant," Sánchez said, "but they also bring a little spice to space."

Perry, meanwhile, said she has been "psychologically" preparing for the spaceflight by reading work from the late Sagan and other scientists.

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"I am talking to myself every day and going, ‘You’re brave, you’re bold, you are doing this for the next generation to inspire so many different people but especially young girls to go, ‘I’ll go to space in the future.’ No limitations,’" Perry said. 

"I’m really excited about the engineering of it all. I’m excited to learn more about STEM and just the math about what it takes to accomplish this type of thing," she continued. "I am feeling so grateful and grounded and honored to be invited and included with this incredible group of women."

Blue Origin all-female flight criticisms

The other side:

The news of the upcoming trip has not been without critiques, most recently from actor Olivia Munn, who bemoaned the mission's cost and publicity.

"I know this is not the cool thing to say, but there are so many other things that are so important in the world right now… if you want to go to space, why do you need to tell us about it?" Munn said on a recent episode of the "Today with Jenna & Friends" podcast. 

"Just go up there, have a good time, come on down," Munn continued. "I know this is probably obnoxious, but like, it’s so much money to go to space, you know? And there’s a lot of people who can’t even afford eggs."

But Perry believes an all-women crew has historic ramifications. Only 14% of people who have gone to space so far have been women.

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"It’s an important moment for the future of commercial space travel and for humanity in general and for women all around," Perry told The Associated Press. "I just feel like, ‘Put us in coach.’"

Blue Origin tourist space flights

The backstory:

Blue Origin has flown tourists on short hops to space since 2021, after Bezos climbed aboard with his brother for the inaugural trip. Some passengers have received free rides, while others have paid a hefty sum to experience weightlessness. 

WATCH: Blue Origin launches New Glenn rocket on first test flight from Florida, loses booster

The company declined to say who’s paying for Monday's all-female flight.

Air and Space