An all female crew on the Blue Origin Shepard Rocket took its 11 minute ascent into space on April 14th. Blue Origin’s suborbital flights, particularly the recent NS-31 mission, marked significant milestones in the realm of commercial space travel and gender representation in space exploration. On April 14th, the NS-31 mission launched from Corn Ranch, Texas carrying an all-female crew aboard the New Shepard rocket.

The crew included Lauren Sanchez, fiancee of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, along with Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen, Gayle King, Katy Perry, and Kerianne Flynn. This mission was notable as the first all-female spaceflight since Valentina Tereshkova’s solo journey in 1963.

The New Shepard vehicle, named after astronaut Alan Shepard, is a fully reusable suborbital launch system designed for space tourism. It consisted of a booster and a crew capsule, both engineered for vertical takeoff and landing. The NS-31 flight lasted approximately 10 minutes and 21 seconds, reaching an altitude of about 62 miles, which allowed the crew to experience a brief period of weightlessness before safely returning to Earth.

While the mission was celebrated for promoting female representation in space, it also faced many criticisms. Some observers questioned the environmental impact of space tourism and the optics of celebrity involvement during global challenges. Despite these criticisms, the mission garnered significant public interest and sparked discussions about the future of space travel and inclusivity, Blue Origin’s suborbital flights, including the NS-31, demonstrate the company’s commitment to make space more accessible. By providing opportunities for diverse individuals to experience space, Blue Origin is contributing to a broader conversation about who gets to explore beyond our planet. As commercial spaceflight continues to evolve, missions like NS-31 serve as both technological achievements and cultural touchstones in the journey toward inclusive space exploration.