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Blue Origin's next all-women flight to space is slated to make history, with celebrities like Katy Perry, Lauren Sánchez, and Gayle King on board.
The crew will be launched into space this Spring, aboard the New Shepard spacecraft. It will take off from the West Texas desert, and as reported by USA Today, the company claims this will be the first all-women flight since Valentina Tereshkova of the erstwhile Soviet Union took off in a solo spaceflight in 1963.
The news has sparked renewed interest in the celebrities who have ever been to space, including Jeff Bezos, William Shatner, and more.
A closer look at celebrities who have been to space
1) William Shatner
The Star Trek alum made headlines when he became the oldest man to ever cross the Kármán line, which is the internationally recognized border of space. Aboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin New Shepard, he was launched from the Earth on October 31, 2021.
As reported by People magazine, Shatner reflected on the experience later on:
"When I was there [in space], everything I thought might be clever to say [about the trip] went out the window. Everything else just stood still for a moment." He added: "I was overwhelmed with the experience, with the sensation of looking at death and looking at life. It's become a cliché of how we need to take care of the planet, but it's so fragile."
2) Jeff Bezos
The CEO of Amazon boarded the first flight bound for space that had humans on it for Blue Origin, the company he founded in 2000.
3) Richard Branson
Back in July 2021, Branson was launched into space alongside five others. At the time, he was on a mission to reach the edge of outer space on the VSS Unity spacecraft. The mission was notably dubbed Unity 22, and it was the company's first flight to have a full crew.
4) Michael Strahan
The Good Morning America anchor joined the ranks of those who have been to space in December 2021, when he travelled via Blue Origin. He became the first news anchor to ever leave the planet.
Notably, comedian and actor Pete Davidson was also slated to go to space, but owing to a shift in the launch schedule, he was unable to do so.
As for the first all-women flight, it comes amid Jeff Bezos' fight to stake his claim in the commercial space industry. Among his major competitors is Elon Musk's SpaceX. The crew aboard the New Shepard will also cross the Kármán line, and a statement from the company reveals:
"Every person on board is a crew member − there are no pilots."
Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez will all be on board.
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