Hundreds of lotus seeds from Vietnam head to space with all-female Blue Origin crew

By Phuong Linh April 14, 2025 | 12:35 am PT

The all-female crew of Blue Origin's NS-31 launch in their Monse designed flight suits. They are (clockwise from bottom left): Lauren Sánchez, Amanda Nguyen, Katy Perry, Gayle King, Aisha Bowe and Kerianne Flynn. Photo coutersy of Blue Origin via AP

A total of 169 lotus seeds from Vietnam will join an all-female crew on a Blue Origin suborbital flight on Monday, in a symbolic mission linking cultural heritage with space exploration.

The seeds, provided by the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, will be carried by Amanda Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American scientist and civil rights advocate. They are expected to be used in post-flight research to examine how space travel affects plant growth.

The lotus, Vietnam's national flower, is widely regarded as a symbol of resilience and purity. Its inclusion on the mission serves as a cultural gesture and a scientific opportunity.

Nguyen, 33, will fly aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket alongside five other women: former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, singer Katy Perry, "CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King, film producer Kerianne Flynn, and media executive Lauren Sánchez, fiancée of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

The mission, launched from Van Horn, Texas, marks the 31st flight of Blue Origin’s reusable suborbital vehicle. The crew is set to launch from the West Texas Launch Site One at 13:30 GMT. They will reach an altitude of 105 kilometers, briefly experiencing zero gravity before returning to Earth in a flight lasting approximately 11 minutes.

The event will be streamed live on Space.com and Blue Origin's YouTube channel, with coverage beginning 90 minutes before liftoff.

Sponsored by nonprofit Space for Humanity, Nguyen’s participation honors her advocacy for sexual assault survivors through her NGO Rise, as well as her work in STEM education.

The crew is the second all-female team to fly into space, following Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s historic mission in 1963.