Blue Origin marked a successful launch after completing its first all-female mission on April 14, 2025. Bahamian-American aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe joined five other pioneering women as they soared beyond Earth’s atmosphere in Jeff Bezos’ New Shepard rocket. The historic flight marks a milestone in private space travel and women’s achievements in aerospace.
The Blue Origin launch featured an impressive lineup of female trailblazers. Alongside Bowe, the crew included CBS Mornings anchor Gayle King, Jeff Bezos’s fiancée Lauren Sánchez, activist and scientist Amanda Nguyen, movie producer Kerianne Flynn, and Pop star Katy Perry.
“I gotta sing in space,” Perry posted on Instagram before the flight. True to her word, the pop star delivered an impromptu performance of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” during the weightless portion of their journey, creating a memorable moment miles above Earth.
The New Shepard rocket blasted off from Blue Origin’s West Texas launch facility at 9:30 a.m. ET on Monday. The autonomous vehicle carried the six passengers more than 62 miles into the atmosphere, past the internationally recognized boundary of space known as the Kármán line.
Blue Origin Launch Breaks Barriers Beyond Earth
The significance of an all-female space crew extends beyond the eight-minute journey. Women have historically represented only about 11% of all humans who’ve ventured into space, with even lower numbers for women of color. Sánchez, who led the organization of the historic mission, selected each crew member for their ability to inspire others. “All of these women are storytellers in their own right,” she explained. “They’re going to go up to space and be able to spread what they felt in different ways.”
The journey carried special significance for engineer Aisha Bowe as she became the first person of Bahamian heritage to travel to space. Bowe’s connection to the Bahamas runs deep through her family history. “As the first person of Bahamian heritage to fly into space, I’m particularly excited about the opportunity to share this with my grandfather,” Bowe shared in an interview with Elle. She revealed that her father came from the Bahamas to study in the United States because he wanted to work for NASA — a dream she carried forward.
Bowe brought several meaningful items on her journey, including the Apollo 12 flag and something uniquely Bahamian — conch chowder, the national dish that brought her comfort growing up. “I cannot wait to take that national dish, which brings me so much pride. It was my comfort food growing up. We’re dehydrating it and I’m taking it in a small ramekin,” Bowe explained.
Inspiration For Future Generations
The crew experienced several minutes of weightlessness and witnessed what Blue Origin describes as “life-changing views of Earth.” After the successful flight, the module containing the astronauts descended suspended from three parachutes.
Upon landing, the women were greeted by Bezos. Each crew member dedicated their flight to inspiring future generations. Bowe specifically dedicated her journey “to everybody who was told their dream was too big,” emphasizing that “there is nothing that you can’t do, and you cannot allow others to define success for your life.”
