Katy Perry, Lauren Sanchez and Gayle King SCREAM as they're blasted into space on Blue Origin rocket

Lauren Sánchez, 55, Katy Perry, 40, CBS co-host Gayle King , 70, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyne, 33, filmmaker Kieranne Flynn, 57, and NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, 38, were the 6 women chosen for the brief zero gravity mission

Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket launched an all-female crew of celebrity astronauts into space Monday morning, marking a historic moment not seen in six decades. The 11-minute suborbital flight, which took off from West Texas, featured a crew of six prominent women, including Jeff Bezos’s fiancée Lauren Sánchez and popstar Katy Perry.

The commercial spacecraft briefly carried the passengers beyond the edge of Earth's atmosphere, where they experienced approximately three minutes of weightlessness before safely returning to Earth. Upon landing, Katy Perry led the celebration by kissing the Texas soil, followed by emotional reactions from her fellow crew members.

Jeff Bezos follows his fiancée Lauren Sanchez to the New Shepard rocket prior to the launch of the all-female spaceflight on April 14

Joining Sánchez, 55, and Perry, 40, on the mission were CBS co-host Gayle King, 70; civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, 33; filmmaker Kieranne Flynn, 57; and NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, 38. The launch marked the first all-female spaceflight since Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova's solo mission in 1963.

This was the 31st mission for the New Shepard vehicle, which has been operating commercial spaceflights since 2015. Just before liftoff at 9:30 a.m. ET, Jeff Bezos expressed his admiration and support for the crew, telling them, “When you get back, I want to hear how it has changed you. I love you all.” Sánchez commented earlier that Bezos returned from his own spaceflight “more grounded.”

After traveling through space for approximately 3 minutes, the New Shephard capsule landed safely a few miles from the launch site in Texas

The rocket, powered by a single BE-3PM engine burning a mix of liquid oxygen and hydrogen, produced roughly 50,000 kilograms of thrust while emitting only water vapor. The spacecraft reached speeds over 2,000 miles per hour—more than twice the speed of sound. The crew experienced up to three times the force of gravity as the rocket passed through Max-Q, the point of maximum aerodynamic stress.

Inside the capsule, the passengers could be heard expressing excitement during their brief time in zero gravity. At 9:40 a.m. ET, the capsule touched down safely just a few miles from the launch site. A recovery team was quickly dispatched to assist the crew.

Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket launched on time at 9:30am ET Monday morning, launching 6 women into space on the 11-minute flight

Bezos was among the first to greet the returning astronauts. Perry, overcome with emotion, kissed the ground after exiting the capsule, with King and the others following suit. Among those watching nervously from the ground were Oprah Winfrey, who became emotional as her best friend Gayle King soared into space. The Kardashian family was also in attendance, joking about the possibility of taking their reality show into orbit one day.

The successful flight not only advanced commercial space tourism but also marked a symbolic milestone in the history of women in space exploration.