Meet the All-Female Crew of Blue Origin’s Historic NS-31 Spaceflight

Blue Origin has completed its 11th human spaceflight named NS-31 for the New Shepard program. 

The first all-female astronaut crew included Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez, who brought the mission together.

Including this crew, New Shepard has now flown 58 people to space, including four people who have flown twice.

Blue Origin’s Historic All-Female Spaceflight

Blue Origin is an American space technology company founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos (the owner of Amazon). The Kent, Washington-based company launched its 11th human flight, NS-31, from Launch Site One in West Texas on Monday, April 14. 

“What a privilege to witness this crew of trailblazers depart the capsule today,” said Phil Joyce, Senior Vice President, New Shepard. “Each of these women is a storyteller who will use their voices—individually and together—to channel their life-changing experience today into creating lasting impact that will inspire people across our planet for generations. Thank you to this remarkable crew for uplifting many on their historic journey toward the stars and back.”

To date, the New Shepard program has flown 52 people above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. This is the first all-female flight crew since Valentina Tereshkova’s solo spaceflight 1963.

Let’s meet the members of the all-female mission NS-31 Crew: 

Aisha Bowe

Bowe, a former NASA rocket scientist and global STEM advocate, is set to make history as the first person of Bahamian descent in space. As CEO of STEMBoard and founder of LINGO, an edtech company, Aisha is dedicated to expanding access to STEM education and empowering future generations. 

Related Post: Aisha Bowe’s LINGO Secures $2.5M to Enhance STEM Education

On her Blue Origin flight, she’ll carry student postcards and conduct research experiments in plant biology and human physiology, advancing her mission to explore space for Earth’s benefit.

Amanda Nguyễn

Nguyen is a bioastronautics research scientist. She graduated from Harvard and conducted research at the Harvard Center for Astrophysics, MIT, NASA, and the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences. Her experience includes working on the last NASA shuttle mission, STS-135, and the Kepler exoplanet mission. 

For her advocacy for sexual violence survivors, Nguyen was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and awarded TIME’s Woman of the Year. As the first Vietnamese and Southeast Asian woman astronaut, her flight is a symbol of reconciliation between the United States and Vietnam and will highlight science as a tool for peace.

Gayle King

Gayle is a renowned journalist, co-host of CBS Mornings, editor-at-large of Oprah Daily, and host of Gayle King in the House on SiriusXM radio. In a career spanning decades, King is known as a talented, compassionate interviewer who can break through the noise and create meaningful conversations. 

As someone who is staying open to new adventures, even ones that scare her, Gayle is honored to be part of Blue Origin’s historic all-female flight team and is looking forward to stepping out of her comfort zone.

Katy Perry

Katy is the biggest-selling female artist in Capitol Records’ history and one of the best-selling music artists of all time with over 115 billion streams. Aside from being a global pop superstar, Katy is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, where she uses her powerful voice to ensure every child’s right to health, education, equality, and protection, and her own Firework Foundation, which empowers children from underserved communities by igniting their inner light through the arts. Katy is honored to be a part of Blue Origin’s first all-female crew and hopes her journey encourages her daughter and others to reach for the stars. 

Related Post: 7 Women Changemakers Making Waves in STEM and Tech

Kerianne Flynn

After a successful career in fashion and human resources, Flynn has spent the last decade channeling her energy into community-building through board service and nonprofit work with The Allen-Stevenson School, The High Line, and Hudson River Park. 

Passionate about the transformative power of storytelling, Flynn has produced thought-provoking films such as This Changes Everything (2018), which explores the history of women in Hollywood, and LILLY (2024), a powerful tribute to fair-pay advocate Lilly Ledbetter. 

The American film producer has always been drawn to exploration, adventure, and space. She hopes her Blue Origin space flight inspires her son, Dex, and the next generation of dreamers to reach for the stars.

Lauren Sánchez

Sánchez is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, New York Times bestselling author, pilot, Vice Chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, and mother of three. In 2016, Sánchez, a licensed helicopter pilot, launched Black Ops Aviation, the first female-owned and operated aerial film and production company. 

She released her New York Times bestselling debut children’s book, The Fly Who Flew to Space, in 2024. Her work in aviation earned her the Elling Halvorson Vertical Flight Hall of Fame Award in 2024 for her expertise as a helicopter pilot and aviation female entrepreneur. Sánchez’s goal with this Blue Origin’s flight is to inspire the next generation of space explorers.