Broadcast journalist Gale King and singer Katy Perry were set to embark on a brief journey to space on Monday aboard a flight operated by Jeff Bezos’ private company Blue Origin. This marks the first all-female crew going to space since 1963.
Their flight on Blue Origin’s New Shepard Rocket was scheduled to launch from Blue Origin’s launch site 1 in West Texas, approximately 120 miles southeast of El Paso. The launch could occur as early as 9:30 am Eastern Time.
This flight will be the 11th human flight for the New Shepard program, having carried 52 individuals, including repeat astronauts. Above the Kalman Line, which marks the internationally recognized boundary of the universe approximately 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth.
The New Shepard Rocket flight, offering minutes of weightlessness, will be piloted.
Bezos’ fiancée, former broadcast journalist Lauren Sanchez, was also slated to be part of the NS-31 Mission. The couple’s wedding reportedly is set to take place in Venice this summer.
Another passenger is Aisha Bowe, a former NASA rocket scientist. Elle Magazine reported that she is the first person of Bahamian heritage to venture into space. Also onboard are film producer Kerianne Flynn and Amanda Nguyen, a research scientist at Bioastronauts and a prominent advocate for sexual assault survivors.
According to Blue Origin, Nguyen will be the first Vietnamese woman to travel to space.
“It’s a dream come true, and for me, it was a dream deferred,” Nguyen shared with Elle.
After studying astrophysics and working for NASA, Nguyen shifted her focus to activism following a traumatic event of sexual assault.
“Gender-based violence is a significant factor leading many women in STEM to discontinue their training. I was one of them,” she stated, referring to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
This marks the first space flight featuring an all-female crew since Valentina Tereshkova’s solo flight for the Soviet Union in 1963, making her the first woman in space.
However, there are critics questioning whether all-female crews truly represent moments of feminist progress. The New Shepard program, a cornerstone of Blue Origin’s Space Tourism Business, is seen as a venture for the wealthy and powerful to access space.
Actress Olivia Munn was criticized as being “somewhat tone-deaf” while appearing as a guest host on Today with Jenna and Hoda earlier this month.
“I know this isn’t fashionable, but there are so many other important issues in the world right now,” Munn remarked. “What exactly are you going to do in space?”
During an interview on CBS Morning with an interview aired on Friday, host Vladimir Dutier asked King if she had concerns that the flight may be seen as an advertisement for Amazon founder Bezos. Dutier highlighted the scrutiny Bezos faces due to Amazon’s business practices and ownership of The Washington Post.
Amazon warehouse workers and delivery drivers have raised concerns about unsafe working conditions. In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission and 17 states filed lawsuits against Amazon, alleging monopolistic practices in online retail.
The Washington Post has seen a wave of resignations in recent times amid concerns about leadership, notably Bezos redirecting the newspaper’s opinion section to advocate for “personal liberty and free markets.”
“I share those concerns as well,” King acknowledged. “There have been questionable decisions made.”
“But in this instance, Vlad, this is much larger than one individual and one company,” she continued. “I have chosen to separate the two.”
Bezos has invested billions in Blue Origin and envisions a future where humans inhabit space colonies. He was part of Blue Origin’s inaugural suborbital passenger flight in 2021.
The New Shepard Rocket is named in honor of Alan Shepard, the first American to journey into space in 1961 and one of the moon-walking astronauts.
Source: www.nytimes.com
