By Sadie York
Ahead of Katy Perry’s world tour, an all-female six-person crew has been announced for Jeff Bezos’s US rocket firm, Blue Origin. Of this crew–packed full of celebrities– is the global pop star sensation herself, Katy Perry. The project has signed off to launch this spring, with a crew containing former NASA engineer Aisha Bowe, research scientist Amanda Nguyen, film producer Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez, helicopter pilot and fiancée of Jeff Bezos. The Blue Origin is a fully automated spacecraft, which requires no piloting, thus everyday civilians with no experience flying are able to make this trip. This launch titled “Missions NS-31” is especially unique because it marks the first time in 62 years that an all-women crew goes to space without a man on board. The first occurrence of this was by the solo-manned flight by Soviet woman Svetlana Savitskaya. Since the beginning of space exploration history, women have been excluded. Unlike the Russians, Americans have held men to the societal standard as “the right stuff” for space flight. For decades women have advocated for themselves, and this second in history, all-women crew ripples waves across the globe. Additionally, this flight will open the gateway for women in the aviation field, as NASA aims to land the first woman on the moon in 2026.
As the face of this project, initially Katy Perry appears as an unusual choice. Some would argue that she’s lost her relevance, and others would say she’s left an impact in the pop industry forever. Despite her upcoming tour, there hasn’t been much news revolving the singer, so this sudden news on space flight certainly shocked the world. Nonetheless, the Blue Origin “Missions NS-31” launch is fundamental to the expansion of women in the pilot’s seat, and will hopefully lead to more women-led launches in the future.