Gayle King and Aisha Bowe officially made history on Monday, blasting off into space as part of Blue Origin’s first-ever all-female spaceflight aboard the New Shepard rocket.
The diverse crew also included pop star Katy Perry, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, film producer Kerianne Flynn and journalist Lauren Sánchez. It was the first time since 1963 that an all-women crew had flown to space—and for many watching, it was a moment decades in the making.
For King, a veteran journalist, and Bowe, a former NASA rocket scientist, and tech entrepreneur, the experience was as emotional as it was empowering.
“We did it!!! WE DID SPACE, and it still doesn’t feel real!… Onward and upward from here!” Bowe wrote on Instagram, reflecting on her unlikely path to astronaut status.
The 10-minute suborbital flight reached an altitude of 106 kilometers (346,802 feet), giving the crew a brief but unforgettable experience of weightlessness and a rare view of Earth from space. Liftoff took place at 9:30 a.m. ET from Blue Origin’s West Texas launch site.
King didn’t hold back when describing her reaction—especially after a now-viral photo showed her looking completely stunned inside the capsule.
“I looked terrified,” she admitted to CBS News, laughing. “I thought I was gonna be chill. I was not chill.”
But fear quickly gave way to awe—and pride.
“I am so proud of me right now,” she added. “This was not a ride. What happened to us—this was a bona fide freakin’ flight.”
Though the launch was widely celebrated, it didn’t come without criticism. Online skeptics questioned everything from the purpose of celebrity space travel to the optics of the high-profile mission.
King, however, pushed back.
“Anybody that’s criticizing it doesn’t really understand what is happening here,” she told People. “We can all speak to the response we’re getting from young women and young girls about what this represents.”
Sánchez, who has long championed diversity in aerospace through her work with Blue Origin, echoed that sentiment.
“The critics got me really fired up,” she said. “I would love to have them come to Blue Origin and see the thousands of employees that don’t just work here—they put their heart and soul into this vehicle. They love their work and they love the mission. It’s a big deal for them.”
Among those cheering from the West Texas launch site were trailblazers like Oprah Winfrey, NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps, and former astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison.
Back on Earth, tears were shed. The crew kissed the ground and embraced one another in the West Texas desert. And no matter how you feel about it—history was made.
