Katy Perry, who once sang of extraterrestrial love in a hit off her classic 2010 album Teenage Dream, went to space on Monday. The 13-time Grammy nominee was part of Blue Origin’s first all-female flight team aboard the Jeff Bezos-founded company’s 11th human flight, NS-31, which launched from West Texas and also featured Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, Gayle King, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez.
What happened on Blue Origin’s space flight featuring Katy Perry and Gayle King?
The New Shepard took its passengers to space at a rate “more than three times the speed of sound,” per a Blue Origin explainer on the latest mission. The crew then passed the boundary of space above Earth, known as the Kármán line, at which they pointed experienced a period of weightlessness while looking down at our inconceivably tiny rock of an existence.
What happened after the latest Blue Origin flight safely made its return to Earth?
After Bezos opened the hatch, Perry was second to emerge, at which point she promptly kissed the ground. Upon her exit, she also held up a daisy flower as both a tribute to her and Orlando Bloom’s daughter, named Daisy. Each crew member gave a brief interview after the landing, with King, notably, revealing that Perry sang a portion of “What a Wonderful World,” most famously performed by Louis Armstrong in 1967.
Upon landing, Perry said that she felt “super connected to love” as a result of the experience, which she said would “for sure, 100 percent” be made the subject of an upcoming song.
“I’ve covered that song in the past and obviously, like, my higher self is always steering the ship because I had no clue I would one day decided to sing a little bit of that in space,” Perry said. “It’s not about me. It’s not about me singing my songs. It’s about a collective energy.”
Asked where this experience ranks among the others in her life, Perry put it at No. 2 behind being a mother.
“It is the highest high, and it is surrender to the unknown,” Perry added.
What did the world make of Blue Origin’s latest flight?
Ahead of the launch, some were less enthusiastic about the latest endeavor from Blue Origin and company. Olivia Munn, for example, downplayed the experience with a comparison to Magic Mountain, calling the whole thing “a bit gluttonous.” On launch day, many were quick to share reactions focused on King, who, in the longtime CBS News personality’s own words, was “terrified of flying” prior to joining the Blue Origin crew.
Others simply came through with jokes, more generally, as seen below.