All-Female Blue Origin Flight Returns Safely

There were a few extra stars briefly in space Monday morning as a celebrity all-female entourage blasted off for a quick trip outside the atmosphere aboard a Blue Origin rocket. The six women, including pop star Katy Perry, news anchor Lauren Sanchez (also fiancé of Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos), TV host Gayle King, along with civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, rocket scientist Aisha Bowe and filmmaker Kerrianne Flynn, all guests of Sanchez, launched about 9:30 a.m. EDT.

The rocket reached its 62-mile apogee, the accepted lower limit of space, and returned to Earth with a soft parachute landing in Texas. King, who appeared anxious through the whole process, kissed the ground on return as did Perry. It was the 11th flight of the system, which has now carried 52 people to the Kármán line. The flight drew criticism for its celebrity content.