Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launched his fiancée Lauren Sanchez to space on Monday with an all-female celebrity crew that included Katy Perry and Gayle King.
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It was the latest wave in space tourism, where more of the rich and famous than ever before – or lucky and well-connected – can enter the zero-gravity realm traditionally dominated by professional astronauts.
The New Shepard rocket blasted off on the quick up-and-down trip from West Texas. The fringes of space beckoned some 105 kilometres (65 miles) up, promising a few precious minutes of weightlessness.
The flight brought the passengers beyond the Karman line – the internationally recognised boundary of space.
Sanchez, a helicopter pilot and former TV journalist, invited the others along for the 10-minute, fully automated flight, packing on the star power with singer-songwriter Perry and CBS Mornings co-host King.
Also sharing the ride were film producer Kerianne Flynn; Aisha Bowe, a former Nasa engineer who started her own companies to promote science education; and Amanda Nguyen, a scientist who studied planets around other stars and now advocates for survivors of sexual violence.