Jeff Bezos space company Blue Origin has successfully launched a new Shepard Rocket around 9:30am on Monday as it looks to try Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the space tourism industry.
Most distinguished on this mission is that Soviet astronaut Valentina Teleskova featured the first All-Mail Space Crew since 1963, when he completed his solo mission. This also marks the Rocket’s 31st trip and its 11th mission.
The crew at the launch included pop artist Katy Perry, “CBS Mornings” anchor Anchor Gayle King, film producer Kerianne Flynn, Bezos’ Fiancée Lauren Sánchez, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe.
The trip was intended to highlight the role of women in astronauts, but Blue Origin faces criticism for being an exclusive venture for the wealthy, especially in times of economic hardship in the United States.
However, Perry offered a different perspective. In an interview with CBS, she said, “It’s not about me. It’s about the beautiful earth we can see.
However, to experience the same view of Earth from space, participants will have to pay $150,000 to book a spot.
Last month, the company announced it was preparing for the second release of its new Glen Rocket sometime in the spring.