Katy Perry and Gayle King will join an all-female crew on Blue Origin’s upcoming spaceflight this spring, marking the first time in 62 years that women have traveled to space without men on board. Other crew members include former NASA engineer Aisha Bowe, scientist Amanda Nguyen, producer Kerianne Flynn, and helicopter pilot Lauren Sánchez.

Axar.az, citing Forbes, reports that while Blue Origin has conducted multiple crewed spaceflights before, this mission is historic due to the long history of women’s exclusion from space travel.

The last solo female spaceflight occurred in 1963 when Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova flew alone. In the U.S., despite the Mercury 13 proving women were physically capable of space travel in the 1960s, NASA and Congress resisted including women in the space program. Prominent male astronauts, including John Glenn, reinforced societal norms that excluded women from such opportunities.

Even today, women in STEM and space exploration face bias and discrimination.

When aerospace engineer Emily Calandrelli became the 100th woman in space in 2023, Blue Origin had to edit its video of her flight due to misogynistic online comments. The upcoming mission challenges these biases, paving the way for greater gender inclusivity in space exploration. With NASA planning to land the first woman on the moon in 2026, such milestones help inspire future generations of women in STEM and space industries.