Pop singer Katy Perry has shared a clip from inside the Blue Origin shuttle she's been training in ahead of an all-female crew's mission into space for the first time in over six decades.
The 40-year-old singer will blast off aboard Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin rocket from western Texas at 2:30pm BST (8:30am local time).
This groundbreaking mission, designated NS-31, marks the first all-female space flight since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova's solo mission in 1963.
Perry and her five fellow crew members completed their final preparations yesterday, with the singer sharing glimpses of their training on social media.
The brief journey will take the women beyond the Kármán line, the internationally recognised boundary of space 62 miles above Earth.
The mission is expected to last just 11 minutes from launch to landing, with the crew experiencing approximately four minutes of weightlessness.
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During this brief period, the women will unbuckle from their seats to float freely while gazing at Earth from space.
Recording herself nearby and inside the shuttle on Monday morning UK time, Perry shared a video of the interior of the Blue Origin training shuttle as she expressed her excitement for the mission.
In the accompanying caption, written less than 24 hours before the feat, Perry penned: "I’ve dreamt of going to space for 15 years and tomorrow that dream becomes a reality.
"The Taking Up Space Crew launches tomorrow morning at 7am CT and I am SO honored to be alongside 5 other incredible and inspiring women as we become the first ever all female flight space crew!" (sic)
Katy Perry is heading to space
PA
Perry will be joined by Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos's fiancée and the journalist who orchestrated the flight.
The crew also includes CBS Mornings presenter Gayle King, who initially turned down the invitation but later overcame her fears.
Former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, who said she has "been training for and waiting for this moment my entire life," is also onboard.
Civil rights activist and bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen, whose first thought about the mission was "About time," completes the crew alongside film producer Kerianne Flynn.
Sanchez described her fellow passengers as "incredible storytellers" who will inspire others to "dream big."
The six women have been in Texas for several days completing their final training sessions.
Perry has harboured space aspirations for nearly two decades, telling Elle magazine she's been dreaming of this moment for 15 years.
The singer believes her journey was meant to be, sharing on Instagram that she received "confirmations from the heavens" about the mission.
She was particularly struck by two coincidences related to her mother's nicknames for her – "feather" and "tortoise" – which match the capsule's name and design.
"There are no coincidences," Perry said. "I'm just so grateful that I feel like something bigger than me is steering the ship."
Perry hopes the experience will inspire her daughter Daisy, whom she shares with actor Orlando Bloom.
"I want to show her that there are no limits," she told Elle.
"I am talking to myself every day and going, 'You're brave, you're bold, you are doing this for the next generation to inspire so many different people but especially young girls to go, 'I'll go to space in the future.' No limitations," Perry told the Associated Press.
The historic mission aims to highlight gender diversity in space exploration, a field traditionally dominated by men.
"I'm really excited about the engineering of it all," Perry added. "I'm excited to learn more about STEM and just the math about what it takes to accomplish this type of thing."
This milestone flight underscores Blue Origin's commitment to inclusivity in space tourism.
"New Shepard astronauts ascend toward space at more than three times the speed of sound," Blue Origin explains on its website.
After reaching its peak altitude, the capsule will detach from the booster mid-flight before falling back to Earth.
The descent will be slowed by parachutes and a retro-rocket, bringing the crew gently back to the ground.
Those wishing to watch can tune into Blue Origin's website, which will begin livestreaming 90 minutes before takeoff.
The crew will be wearing specially designed blue jumpsuits created by Sanchez for the mission.
"Her jumpsuit design manages to bring a little spice to space while also being shaped to the female form," Sanchez told the New York Times.
The NS-31 mission is the 11th human flight for Blue Origin, which has been offering space tourism experiences since 2021.
Previous passengers have included Star Trek actor William Shatner, who also experienced the brief taste of zero-gravity.
The crew has been officially certified as ready to fly following their training sessions in Texas.
