Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket made headlines as it successfully launched an all-female crew into space on its recent NS-31 mission. This historic demonstration occurred 30 miles north of Van Horn, Texas, a small town on the edge of the breathtaking Big Bend National Park. The first all-female crew has ventured into space. Welcome back earthlings! The flight included six prominent public figures: singer Katy Perry, journalist Gayle King, Lauren Sanchez, and three others whose names were part of the historic crew.
Jeff Bezos started Blue Origin in the year 2000. This private aerospace manufacturer is famous for its revolutionary advancements in aerospace-collaborative spaceflight services. Their reusable New Shepard rocket, which is designed for suborbital flights, has successfully launched 31 times, including 11 crewed missions. This technology positions Blue Origin as a significant competitor to Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the burgeoning commercial space launch industry.
Unlike some other rockets, Blue Origin’s New Shepard is designed to be reusable. It rockets up to 62 miles—an altitude that’s recognized worldwide as the boundary of space. As designed, the capsule — called Tortoise — is meant to deliver riders a safe and pleasant transportation experience. The crew took a short 11-minute flight as part of their mission. They blasted through hundreds of miles of atmosphere and then they came back safely.
Jeff Bezos at the launch site, sending off his new fav Lauren Sanchez. He concluded with a general expression of excitement for the journey that was still ahead. In an unscripted and touching moment, he shouted out, “What a transformative, amazing, profound experience! I’m so happy for you, I don’t want to release you. When you return, I’m looking forward to hearing how it has transformed you.” He concluded, “I love all of you—Godspeed!”
That very NS-31 mission has provided an excellent demonstration of Blue Origin’s technological achievement. It’s an important step in many ways, it’s a giant step for diversity and representation in space exploration. The crew were so clearly excited and genuinely happy to be a part of this unique experience. As they fixed the cameras upon themselves in a final photo-op shoot before blast-off, they were said to have collectively yelled, “We’re a crew!”
As the mission was gearing up for launch, Katy Perry reflected on the mission and why she’s so connected to this historic capsule. She said, “When I was invited to come on this voyage, I looked up the capsule. On the very front of it is the outline in the shape of a feather and when I saw that it was like a total confirmation because my mum has always called me feather.”
As they departed, an emotional Gayle King reflected on the historical importance of their trip. She has no doubt that there’s more to the story. “There are no coincidences. Whatever is bigger than me is building this ship and guiding the ship.”
One key difference, though, is that Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket has a self-flying capability that increases the vehicle’s reusability. This innovation radically increases cost-effectiveness. It rocketed Blue Origin to the head of the pack in this rapidly changing world of commercial space travel.
The successful conclusion of NS-31 proves, again, that Blue Origin knows how to get it done. It highlights the company’s continued commitment to move forward with space tourism and exploration. As more and more private companies make their move into this exciting new arena, the opportunities for future missions with crews of all kinds increases exponentially.