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The Definitive Answer: When Did Katy Perry Go To Space? (The Full Blue Origin NS-31 Story)

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Despite the rumors, music videos, and cosmic metaphors in her biggest hits, pop superstar Katy Perry officially traveled to space on Monday, April 14. This highly publicized and controversial suborbital journey was part of the Blue Origin NS-31 mission, an all-female flight that briefly took the singer and five other passengers to the edge of space aboard Jeff Bezos' New Shepard rocket. The event, which took place in the current year of 2025, made headlines not just for its star power, but for the short duration of the flight and the immediate debate over whether it was a genuine scientific endeavor or a high-profile public relations stunt for the burgeoning space tourism industry.

The question of "when did Katy Perry go to space" is one that has circulated online for years, fueled by her cosmic-themed music and eccentric public persona. However, the definitive date is April 14, 2025, a day when the singer traded the stage for a capsule, becoming one of the latest celebrities to experience the weightlessness of a brief journey beyond the Kármán line. The mission was a landmark moment for Blue Origin, showcasing their space tourism capability with a crew composed entirely of women.

Katy Perry: Biography and Spaceflight Profile

Katy Perry’s journey to the edge of space is a fascinating chapter in a career defined by reinvention and spectacle. Her profile prior to and during the Blue Origin NS-31 mission is detailed below, providing context for the historical flight.

  • Full Name: Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson
  • Stage Name: Katy Perry
  • Born: October 25, 1984, Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
  • Occupation: Singer, Songwriter, Television Judge (American Idol)
  • Notable Space/Cosmic Songs: "E.T." (2010), "Firework" (2010), "Extraterrestrial"
  • Space Mission: Blue Origin New Shepard NS-31
  • Launch Date: Monday, April 14, 2025
  • Launch Location: Launch Site One, West Texas
  • Flight Duration: Approximately 10 minutes and 21 seconds
  • Unique Feat: First woman to sing in orbit (performed "What a Wonderful World")
  • Fellow Crew Members: Lauren Sánchez, Gayle King, Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, and Kerianne Flynn

The All-Female NS-31 Mission: Crew, Capsule, and Controversy

The Blue Origin NS-31 flight was a high-stakes event, carefully curated to maximize media attention. It was the eleventh human flight for the company's New Shepard program, a suborbital launch system designed for short-duration space tourism. The mission was notable for its entirely female crew, a first for Blue Origin, which included several high-profile figures alongside Perry.

The crew members were:

  • Katy Perry: Pop music icon.
  • Lauren Sánchez: Emmy Award-winning journalist and fiancée of Jeff Bezos. Her presence underscored the mission’s connection to the Blue Origin founder.
  • Gayle King: Veteran broadcast journalist and co-host of CBS Mornings. Her role provided a direct media link to the flight.
  • Aisha Bowe: Tech entrepreneur and former NASA engineer.
  • Amanda Nguyễn: Activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee.
  • Kerianne Flynn: Businesswoman and investor.

The flight itself was a rapid, high-intensity experience. The New Shepard rocket carried the six-person crew capsule above the Kármán line—the internationally recognized boundary of space, sitting 100 kilometers (62 miles) above Earth. Crew members experienced a few minutes of microgravity and witnessed the Earth's curvature before the capsule parachuted back down to the desert floor in West Texas. The total mission time, from liftoff to landing, was just over ten minutes.

The First Song in Orbit: "What a Wonderful World"

The most unique and widely reported detail of the NS-31 mission was Katy Perry's impromptu performance. Perry, known for her powerful vocals and stage presence, became the first woman to sing a song in the microgravity environment of space. The song choice was Louis Armstrong's classic, "What a Wonderful World."

This musical moment was revealed by fellow crew member Gayle King after the successful return to Earth. The choice of the track contrasted sharply with Perry's own space-themed hit, "E.T.," but was seen by many as a poignant and reflective tribute to the planet they briefly left behind. The short performance cemented a small but significant record in the history of space exploration and pop culture.

The Debate: PR Stunt or Pioneering Space Tourism?

The NS-31 mission, and Katy Perry’s involvement in particular, immediately sparked a wider public debate about the ethics and purpose of celebrity space tourism. Critics were quick to label the trip a massive PR stunt, arguing that a ten-minute suborbital hop for high-net-worth individuals, while technologically impressive, contributes little to scientific progress.

The core of the criticism centered on:

  • Cost and Exclusivity: The high price tag of a Blue Origin seat, reinforcing the idea of space as a playground for the ultra-rich.
  • Environmental Concerns: The carbon footprint and fuel consumption of commercial space tourism flights.
  • Mission Duration: The brevity of the flight (just over 10 minutes) was seen as underwhelming for the amount of media hype it generated.

Conversely, supporters of the mission and the concept of space tourism argued that celebrity participation is vital for:

  • Public Engagement: Generating excitement and interest in space travel among the general population, which can inspire future engineers and scientists.
  • Funding Innovation: The revenue generated from space tourism helps fund the development of reusable rocket technology and further space exploration efforts.
  • Normalizing Space Travel: Demonstrating the safety and viability of commercial space access, a necessary step toward making space travel more accessible in the long term.

The presence of high-profile entities like Katy Perry, Lauren Sánchez, and Gayle King ensured that the NS-31 mission was one of the most talked-about space events of the year, regardless of the public's divided opinion.

Katy Perry's Longstanding Connection to the Cosmos

Katy Perry's actual journey to space on April 14, 2025, was arguably the culmination of a career-long fascination with the cosmos. Her music has frequently employed astronomical and extraterrestrial themes, making her a natural fit for a space-themed mission.

Her 2010 hit, "E.T. (Extraterrestrial)," is perhaps the most obvious link, with its futuristic sound and lyrics about an alien love. The song's music video features Perry in a distinctly cosmic, almost alien-like persona, further solidifying her image as a pop star with a celestial edge. Other tracks, such as the anthemic "Firework," use cosmic imagery (like "make 'em go 'Aah, aah, aah,' as you shoot across the sky-y-y") as a powerful metaphor for self-empowerment and reaching for the stars.

This consistent topical authority in her discography added a layer of inevitability to her Blue Origin trip. When the announcement was made, it felt less like a random celebrity endorsement and more like a logical extension of her artistic brand. While the flight was short, it provided a real-world, tangible link to the "cosmic pop" identity she had cultivated for over a decade. The NS-31 mission was not just a flight; it was the ultimate PR tie-in, blending space technology with the spectacle of pop music.

In the end, the answer to "when did Katy Perry go to space" is clear: April 14, 2025. The full story, however, involves a star-studded crew, a record-breaking song, and a complex debate about the future of commercial space travel.

when did katy perry go to space
when did katy perry go to space

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