U.S. pop star Katy Perry and Lauren Sanchez, partner of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, safely returned to Earth on Monday after a brief journey to the edge of space aboard a Blue Origin rocket.
In a livestream of the journey, the astronauts of the all-female crew shouted with joy and celebrated, with one person on board screaming, "We're in space!"
The reusable New Shepard vehicle, operated by Bezos's space company, took off from Texas, carrying Perry and Sanchez, together with U.S. presenter Gayle King, scientists Aisha Bowe and Amanda Nguyen, and entrepreneur Kerianne Flynn, to an altitude of around 100 kilometres above the Earth.
The capsule made a safe landing back to Earth after just 10 minutes and 22 seconds, Blue Origin said. The maximum speed on the journey into space was around 3,600 kilometers per hour.
"I've dreamt of going to space for 15 years and tomorrow, that dream becomes a reality," Perry posted on Instagram on Sunday.
She also announced that she planned to sing in zero gravity. After landing, Perry said she had sung the hit "What a Wonderful World" in space.
Bezos welcomed the space capsule back to Earth, personally opening the hatch.
Sanchez described the view of Earth from space: "It was quiet, but then also really alive. And you look at it and you're like, we're all in this together."
Blue Origin has been offering short trips for space tourists since 2021. The company has successfully completed 10 such missions, carrying 52 passengers to the edge of space.
Bezos himself was aboard the inaugural crewed flight, and the company has gained attention for sending celebrities, however briefly, into space. Legendary "Star Trek" actor William Shatner boarded a flight in 2021.
Blue Origin does not officially disclose the price of the trips, but estimates are in the range of several hundred thousand dollars.
Scientists have criticized space tourism for some time, especially for climate reasons. Space travel should not be misused for tourism purposes, the former head of the European Space Agency, Jan Wörner, recently told German radio station rbb24.
