Pop star Katy Perry will be part of an all-female crew set to launch into space Monday aboard a rocket from Blue Origin, the space company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos.
Perry, known for hits like "Firework" and "California Gurls," will travel more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) above Earth on a sub-orbital flight. She will be joined by five other women, including Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sanchez. The crew is scheduled to lift off from western Texas at around 8:30 a.m. (1330 GMT).
The flight, which will last about 10 minutes, will take the crew past the Karman line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. The rocket will rise vertically, with the crew capsule detaching mid-flight before descending back to Earth, slowed by parachutes and a retro rocket.
Monday's mission marks the first all-female space crew since Valentina Tereshkova's historic solo flight in 1963. It will also be the 11th crewed flight by Blue Origin, which has been offering sub-orbital space tourism for several years. The company has not disclosed ticket prices for its flights on the New Shepard rocket.
For Daisy
Perry said she is participating "for my daughter Daisy" to inspire her to pursue her dreams without limits. “I’m just so excited to see the inspiration through her eyes,” she told Elle magazine. “When she goes back to school the next day and says ‘Mom went to space.’”
The crew will also include TV presenter Gayle King, film producer Kerianne Flynn, former NASA scientist Aisha Bowe, and Amanda Nguyen, a sexual violence prevention advocate.
Blue Origin, which has flown 52 passengers on previous missions, faces competition from Virgin Galactic, which offers a similar sub-orbital experience. The company also plans future missions to low Earth orbit, competing with Elon Musk's SpaceX. In January, Blue Origin successfully completed its first unmanned orbital mission with the more powerful New Glenn rocket.