The lyrics to “E.T.” by Katy Perry just got a bit more meta.
On February 27, Blue Origin announced an all-female crew for its private NS-31 mission to space, in what appears to be an effort to promote space tourism. The group of six women, including Katy Perry and Gayle King, was organized by the vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, Lauren Sanchez, an Emmy Award–winning journalist and aerial filmmaker who is currently engaged to Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos.
According to Blue Origin, the aerospace company founded by Bezos, its New Shephard program has already flown 52 people “above the Kármán line,” which is 62 miles above Earth and considered the internationally recognized boundary of space. What do we know about this mission and the women on board? Here’s everything we’ve learned so far.
Who is going to space?
According to the announcement, Sanchez “brought the mission together” and is “honored to lead a team of explorers on a mission that will challenge their perspectives of Earth, empower them to share their own stories, and create lasting impact that will inspire generations to come.”
Beyond her role at Bezos Earth Fund, Sanchez is a licensed helicopter pilot and the founder of Black Ops Aviation, “the first female-owned and operated aerial film and production company.”
Sanchez’s crew includes famous journalist Gayle King and pop star Katy Perry, as well as former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn. “I’m so afraid, but I’m also so excited,” King said while announcing the her trip on CBS Mornings, revealing that “the crew” already created a group chat.
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