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The 33-year-old civil rights activist alongside five other women experienced a brief moment of weightlessness aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard capsule before returning safely to Earth in an 11-minute suborbital flight launched from West Texas, U.S., on April 14.
Here's a look at the women who joined Blue Origin's mission.
Amanda Ngoc Nguyen
Nguyen, who turned her personal trauma into groundbreaking policy by authoring the Sexual Assault Survivor Bill of Rights, became the first Vietnamese and Southeast Asian woman to reach space.
"What a historic crew. Each one of my crewmates represents a community. I'm so proud to be representing mine as the first Vietnamese woman in space," she told "CBS Mornings" in March.
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Vietnamese American Amanda Ngoc Nguyen. Photo courtesy of Nguyen's Instagram |
The Guardian called her "a person who turned personal grief into a global movement," while InStyle hailed her as "a modern-day humanitarian warrior."
Nguyen talked about her plans to conduct two science experiments during the spaceflight, one focused on plant pathology in partnership with the Vietnamese National Space Center and the second on women's health, focused specifically on menstruation.
"Women were barred from becoming astronauts at NASA early on because of menstruation. They didn't have the data to back that up," Nguyen, author of the newly released memoir "Saving Five," explained.
Gayle King
Having just turned 70, King said she embraced the rare chance to go to space—so long as her family and friends supported the decision.
Jumping up and down after the journey to space, King said she wouldn't call it a "ride" but a "bona fide freakin' flight," New York Post reported.
She said that she's proud of herself for overcoming her fear of flying.
Though they all trained for it, King said microgravity was "very difficult," particularly when you had to get back into your seat and strap in to make the trip back down.
"You look down at the planet and you think, 'That's where we came from?' To me, it's such a reminder about how we need to do better - be better," said King, adding that she'll "never, ever, ever forget it."
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From top to bottom, left to right: Amanda Ngoc Nguyen, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Aisha Bowe, Lauren Sánchez, and Kerianne Flynn—members of the historic Blue Origin's space mission on April 14, 2025. Photos provided by the individuals. |
Katy Perry
As the crew returned to their seats following the zero-gravity flight, American pop star Katy Perry made history as the first female singer to perform in space.
She chose to sing Louis Armstrong’s iconic "What a Wonderful World" rather than one of her own hits, adding a timeless touch to the moment.
Before and after the flight, Perry shared photos and videos of the groundbreaking journey.
During the trip, she paid tribute to her 4-year-old daughter, Daisy, by carrying a white daisy, a flower that symbolizes resilience and is also her daughter’s namesake.
Perry later revealed plans to write a new song inspired by the once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Lauren Sánchez
Journalist and philanthropist Lauren Sánchez led the all-female crew, an idea she proposed to her fiancé, Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, shortly after his own spaceflight in 2021.
"I came back to Earth...but something in me is still up there," she began, alongside a video of the six women mid-flight as zero-gravity took hold.
"There's a silence in space that somehow made everything feel more alive. I looked down at our planet and felt how fragile and beautiful it all is. And how deeply connected we are," she continued.
"This flight wasn't about escape. It was about perspective. About making space — for wonder, for courage, for anyone who's ever questioned if they belong."
Sánchez is an American journalist, author, and philanthropist who first rose to prominence as an entertainment reporter and news anchor.
She and Bezos announced their engagement in 2023. As of April 1, Bezos’ net worth is estimated at US$206.9 billion, making him the second-richest person in the world, according to Forbes.
Aisha Bowe
American aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe made history as the first person of Bahamian heritage to travel to space when she joined the Blue Origin flight.
She said she had been preparing for this moment her entire life.
"I mean, I started my career thinking I was allergic to math. ... And here I'm sitting here, and I'm just like, we are going to space," Bowe, a former NASA rocket scientist and two-time tech company founder, told "CBS Mornings" in early April.
Bowe brought several meaningful items on her journey, including an Apollo 12 flag and a uniquely Bahamian touch - conch chowder, the national dish that brought her comfort throughout her childhood.
"I cannot wait to take that national dish, which brings me so much pride. It was my comfort food growing up. We’re dehydrating it and I’m taking it in a small ramekin," Bowe explained.
Kerianne Flynn
Film producer and socialite Kerianne Flynn, who grew up in Michigan, said she spent her childhood gazing at the stars in awe, never imagining that space travel would one day become part of her own story.
"This has been a dream of mine for a very long time," Flynn said. "It has felt mostly like a personal journey."
Speaking with Space, she added, "I have almost no words. It was the most incredible experience of my life to be up there and see such vast darkness in space, and look down on our planet. The moon was so beautiful. I felt like that was a special gift just for me."
Amanda Ngoc Nguyen says "Xin chao Vietnam". Video courtesy of Space.com
