𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Just two hours before the launch Perry told fans on X/Twitter “I LOVE YOU”.

The patch that the six astronauts will wear on Monday feature symbols that represent all five women that will be travelling into space.

According to an Instagram post from Kerianne Flynn, the symbols are as follows:

“The target star symbolizes @aishabowe ‘s ambition for setting big goals, passion for STEM, and commitment to inspiring future generations.

“The scales of justice symbolize @amandangocnguyen ‘s efforts to advocate for civil rights, break barriers, and empower everyday people to create change.

The shooting star microphone represents @gayleking ‘s commitment to sharing important stories with the world.

“The firework symbolizes @katyperry ‘s global influence across music, pop culture, and philanthropy.

“The film reel symbolizes @kerianneflynn ’s passion for filmmaking, storytelling, and crafting beautiful narratives.

“Flynn the Fly, the main character in @laurenwsanchez ’s bestselling children’s book, The Fly Who Flew to Space, is along for the ride. The story is about overcoming adversity, inspiring kids with learning differences to pursue their dreams.”

In about an hour, the crew will be aboard the New Shepard rocket at Blue Origin’s Launch Site One. As the name suggests, that’s the spaceport from which the company launches its missions.

It is in West Texas – about 30 miles north of the town of Van Horn. (You can find it on Google Maps here, and as you can see below it’s a fairly uninhabited part of the world.)

Blue Origin also operates other bases in Washington, Cape Canaveral in Florida and at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

But all of the famous missions that have carried celebrities into space, like this one – sub-orbital flights on board the New Shepard rocket – have gone from that West Texas launchpad.

Speaking to the New York Times about the space suits that she designed, along with Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, Sanchez revealed that she’ll be wearing a pair of Kim Kardashian’s Skims underwear into space.

On the outfits themselves, Sanchez told the NY Times: “Let’s reimagine the flight suit. Usually, you know, these suits are made for a man. Then they get tailored to fit a woman. I think the suits are elegant but they also bring a little spice to space.

“Simplicity was important, and comfort, and fit. But we also wanted something that was a little dangerous, like a motocross outfit. Or a ski suit. Flattering and sexy.”

The webcast of the NS-13 launch is now live on X/Twitter

The film producer has been passionate about space for a long time, even signing up to the 2011 Virgin Galactic spaceflight.

Although that trip has yet to take place, Flynn will now join five others as part of the Blue Origin team’s 11-minute trip into space.

Her work includes independent films and documentaries such as The Automatic Hate (2015), This Changes Everything (2018), and Lilly (2024).

She has served on the board of several non-profit organisations and has worked across the fields of fashion, human resources, and culture.

Speaking to Elle USA, Flynn said: “I grew up in a small town in Michigan, and I always looked up at the stars with my grandfather. He would talk about celestial events and explain the astronomy of the sky. I wondered, ‘What is out there, and what is up there?’ But going through the rest of my life—my career, my education—it just didn’t seem like something that was attainable. So when this opportunity came along, especially to be part of a historic all-female crew, I felt honoured and excited.”

In an Instagram post documenting her preparations, Bowe said: “All systems GO! I’ve been officially certified ready to fly to space by CrewMember 7, Sarah Knights.”

A former NASA rocket scientist, Bowe is not just an aerospace engineer, but also a successful CEO and entrepreneur.

The 38-year-old Bahamian-American has a particular passion for advocating for the importance of STEM and is a recipient of the NASA Equal Employment Opportunity Medal and US Women’s Chamber of Commerce Emerging Star Award.

In 2020, her technology company STEMboard became one of the fastest-growing privately-owned companies in the US.

Born to a working-class family, she was advised to go into cosmetology, but her father encouraged her to take maths at a local college instead.

Ahead of her flight, she wrote: “From the intense training to the quiet moments of reflection, I’ll be sharing it all. This journey has been years in the making, and the reality of it is finally setting in.”

In an Instagram post, shared six weeks before the Blue Origin flight, Nguyen detailed her journey in a moving video.

She wrote: “For 10 years, I traded my telescope for a pen to draft laws protecting survivors. Congress and the UN passed my laws unanimously. But I never forgot her, the person I was before I was hurt. I’m flying for survivors. For every survivor who has been told countless times that speaking up will ruin your life. That the stigma of being a victim or survivor will haunt us forever. You can heal. You can honour the person you were before you were hurt. Her dreams still matter. And no matter how outrageous they are, like flying to space, they can still come true.”

The 33-year-old Nobel Prize-nominated civil rights activist and social entrepreneur is driven by a personal mission to advocate for the rights of survivors of assault after being raped as a student at Harvard in 2013.

Nguyen is credited with drafting the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Act in 2018 after feeling frustrated by restrictions in the legal system.

She was subsequently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 and named one of Time’s Women of the Year in 2022. She interned at NASA in 2011 and 2013, aspiring to be an astronaut.

She also worked as the deputy White House liaison for the US department of state.

She fulfilled her dream and became a scientist astronaut candidate in 2021 at the International Institute of Astronautical Sciences researching women’s health and menstruation.

She has played a prominent role in raising awareness about violence against Asian Americans. To add to her credentials, Nguyen will also be the first Vietnamese woman to travel to space.