Gayle King, Katy Perry and Lauren Sánchez will join three other women on Jeff Bezos’ Rocket Company’s upcoming mission, with Blue Origin announced on Thursday.
The company’s 11th flight of its new Shepherd rocket is expected to explode this spring.
“CBS Mornings” co-host King. Sanchez, Bezos’ girlfriend. Pop star Perry will fly alongside former NASA rocket scientist Aishabeau, bioastronautix research scientist Amanda Nuguen and film producer Kellianne Flynn.
“CBS Mornings” announced King’s journey in a humorous way, using typefaces like “Star Wars” and opening crawls. King, 70, says that after she approached, she initially refused to travel, and then there was a change in her heart.
“I’m very afraid, but I’m very excited about it too. When they asked me, they asked me around Thanksgiving, I was like, ‘No, no.” Then I started thinking about it,” she said. “And I just thought it was a unique opportunity.”
New Shepherd completed its 10th crew flight on Tuesday, just outside Van Horn, Texas.
The journey is short, lasting about 11 minutes. Passengers reach an altitude of just over 100 kilometers (62 miles). This is considered the boundary between the Earth and the universe.
After a passenger experiences several minutes of viewing and zero gravity, the suborbital vehicle returns with the fly back, autonomous and without pilot. Three big parachutes slow down and make a safe touchdown easier.
Previous notable names that went on such flights include company founder Bezos, “Star Trek” actor William Shatner, former New York Giants great Michael Strahan, and Laura Shepherd Churchley, daughter of astronaut Alan Shepherd.
The new Shepherd is named after Alan Shepherd, the first American in the universe.
New Shepherd completed its first crew flight in July 2021. Onboard was Bezos. his brother, Mark Bezos; Pioneering Aviator Wally Funk. And Dutch teenager Oliverdamen.
However, the company suspended its mission from 2022 to 2024, after a rocket booster hit the ground during an irregular launch.
Tickets to ride a new Shepherd cost well in six figures, but the company’s website does not list an official price tag.
The Blue Origin ticket application reminds you that when you become a space traveler, you will “collect a fully refundable deposit of $150,000 to start the ordering process.”
