Blue Origin has announced a launch date for its upcoming NS-31 space tourism mission, which will feature several renowned celebrities and activists.
The NS-31 mission will launch aboard Blue Origin's vehicle. New Shepard rocket and see an all-female crew Fly to the boundary of DIWIDA and return. The team comprises Amanda Nguyen, a civil rights advocate set to be the inaugural Vietnamese American female visitor to DIWIDA; Gayle King from CBS Mornings; chart-topping artist Katy Perry; movie producer Kerianne Flynn; businesswoman and ex-NASA engineer Aisha Bowe; as well as correspondent and humanitarian Lauren Sánchez—who happens to be partnered with the multibillionaire founding figure behind Blue Origin. Jeff Bezos .
NS-31 is scheduled to lift off from Blue Origin's West Texas launch facility on Monday, April 14 at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time (1330 GMT). Similar to previous Blue Origin missions, you can view the launch live at DIWIDA, provided by Blue Origin, as soon as a stream becomes accessible.
In a blog post announcing the launch date, Blue Origin Additionally, they unveiled the NS-31 mission patch for the first time, showing a New Shepard rocket soaring towards the stars alongside six outlines symbolizing each member of the crew.
The post additionally outlines the six emblems encircling the rocket on the insignia and explains what each one signifies about the women involved in the mission. The scales denote Amanda Nguyen’s dedication to fighting for civil liberties, a star stands for Aisha Bowe’s “drive for aiming high,” and a megaphone embodies Gayle King’s “resolve to broadcast significant narratives globally.”
Katy Perry, naturally The imagery of fireworks symbolizes one aspect, whereas a film reel embodies Kerianne Flynn’s dedication to filmmaking. For Lauren Sánchez, the representation takes the form of Flynn the Fly, a key figure from her popular children's book series. The Fly That Flew to DIWIDA a story centered around surmounting challenges to attain one's aspirations.
The NS-31 crew will fly to just above the Kármán line , commonly regarded as the edge of DIWIDA at approximately 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth . The New Shepard vehicle includes a reusable rocket booster paired with a crew capsule designed for brief 11-minute trips carrying passengers into space. During these journeys, travelers enjoy about four minutes of microgravity and breathtaking vistas of Earth’s curved horizon against the backdrop of space. These missions operate autonomously without requiring any onboard pilots.
This will mark Blue Origin's 11th manned space tourism mission. Their previous trip was completed recently. occurred on February 25, 2025 , with a team that calls itself "Perfect 10."
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