Today at 9:30 AM Eastern Time, Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission will launch from Van Horn, Texas, carrying an all-female crew featuring Lauren Sánchez, Katy Perry, and Gayle King. Their destination? The Kármán line—the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space.

The launch has drawn significant attention, partly due to its celebrity passengers—Sánchez, Perry, and King, all high-profile figures, recently graced the cover of Elle ahead of the flight. (“We’re going to put the ‘ass’ in astronaut,” Perry joked in the interview.) But the excitement also stems from Blue Origin’s role in the emerging space tourism industry, alongside SpaceX and Virgin Galactic, making space travel accessible beyond just professional astronauts.

Space exploration has long fascinated the public, dating back to the 1960s space race. As President John F. Kennedy famously declared in 1961: “Space is open to us now; and our eagerness to share its meaning is not governed by the efforts of others.”

Here’s what you need to know about Blue Origin’s historic all-female flight.

### What Is Blue Origin?
Founded by Jeff Bezos (Amazon co-founder and the world’s second-richest person), Blue Origin aims to make space travel available to civilians—not just trained astronauts. (Though it doesn’t come cheap: In 2021, an 18-year-old reportedly paid $28 million for a seat, with $19 million donated to charity.)

The company builds its own rockets and conducts research on space resources, like lunar materials and ice at the Moon’s south pole.

### What Rockets Does Blue Origin Use?
Blue Origin currently operates two rockets:
– New Shepard: Designed for suborbital flights (reaching space but not orbiting Earth), primarily for tourism.
– New Glenn: A heavier-lift rocket capable of orbital missions.

Today’s crew will fly aboard New Shepard.

### Who’s on the All-Female Crew?
The six passengers include:
– Lauren Sánchez (Jeff Bezos’ fiancée, former TV anchor)
– Gayle King (CBS journalist)
– Katy Perry (singer)
– Amanda Nguyen (civil rights activist and scientist)
– Kerianna Flynn (film producer)
– Aisha Bowe (aerospace engineer)

This marks the first all-female spaceflight since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s 1963 mission. However, since their flight won’t enter orbit, they’re technically “space tourists” rather than astronauts.

### Where Will the Flight Go?
The rocket will reach the Kármán line, where passengers will experience a few minutes of weightlessness and see Earth from space.

### How Long Will the Flight Last?
Just 11 minutes from launch to landing.

### What Will the Crew Wear?
Sánchez worked with designers Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia (of Monse) to create custom flight suits. Unlike traditional astronaut gear, these bright blue bodysuits—made from flame-resistant neoprene—were tailored specifically for women. (Since they’re not entering deep space, no technical equipment was needed.)