Katy Perry and Gayle King have officially gone interstellar.
The “Firework” singer, 40, and CBS Mornings cohost, 70, were among the six women who were blasted off into space this morning on Blue Origin’s 11th human flight, NS-31.
The expedition, which lasted 10 minutes in total, saw the all-female crew launched into space and surpass the Kármán line — the legally designated boundary of space — before careening back down to Earth and landing in a big blast of dust.
The voices of the astronauts could be heard throughout the expedition screaming, shouting “wow,” and expressing their amazement over their close proximity to the pink full moon.
Katy Perry and Gayle King kiss the ground after returning safely from their space voyage. Blue Origin
After their safe landing, Perry could be seen lifting a daisy skyward — a nod to her daughter — and then promptly kissing the dirt. King followed suit, throwing her hands in the air before immediately announcing she needed to have “a moment with the ground” and touching the dirt. “Just need to appreciate the ground for just a second,” she added. “Thank you, Jesus.”
Their voyage was witnessed by several celebrities including Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, whose fiancée Lauren Sánchez was among today’s astronauts, as well Kris Jenner, Khloe Kardashian, King’s bestie Oprah Winfrey, and Perry’s partner Orlando Bloom and their daughter, Daisy.
After the flight, King remarked that it was “oddly quiet” up in space. “It’s really quiet and peaceful. And you look down there and you think, ‘That’s where we came from?’ To me, it’s such a reminder about how we need to do better, be better. Do better, be better human beings.”
“It’s so nasty and so vitriolic nowadays and if everybody could experience that peace that we had up there and the kindness and what it takes to do what we did — all the people that it took to get us up there and get us back safely? I’ll never, ever forget,” she added.
King also noted that the best part of the voyage was “when we got back in our seats, Katy sang ‘What A Wonderful World.'”
An emotional Perry explained her song choice in her landing interview.
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“I’ve covered that song in the past and, obviously, my higher self is always steering the ship because I had no clue that one day I would decide to sing a little bit of that in space, but I think that it’s not about me, it’s not about singing my songs, it’s about a collective energy in there,” she said.
“It’s about us, it’s about making space for future women, and taking up space and belonging,” she continued. “And it’s about this wonderful world that we see right out there and appreciating it. This is all for the benefit of Earth.”
Perry said that she felt “super connected to love” after the experience. “I think this experience has shown me you never know how much love is inside of you, how much love you have to give, and how loved you are until the day you launch,” she added.
Prior to the launch, Winfrey told reporters that she has “never been more proud” of her bestie and shared the last thing that she told King before the trip. “I said peace be still,” Winfrey explained. “Hold to God’s unchanging hand; he’s got your back. That’s it.”
King previously revealed on CBS Mornings that she was both “terrified and excited” after agreeing to participate in the interstellar voyage. “I feel well prepared,” she added. “I believe in Blue Origin, what they’re doing. I am really excited and actually looking forward to it.” A press release for the expedition indicated that Perry “is honored to be a part of Blue Origin’s first all-female crew and hopes her journey encourages her daughter [Daisy] and others to take up space, literally and figuratively.”
While Perry and King are celebrating a major space milestone, others have criticized the decision to embark on expensive interstellar travel when there’s plenty of work to be done here on Earth. Actress Olivia Munn called the entire expedition “gluttonous” during a recent episode of TODAY with Jenna & Friends.
“What’s the point? I think it’s a bit gluttonous. I don’t know . . . space exploration was to further our knowledge and to help mankind. What are they gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here?” She asked. “I mean, I don’t know if all that rocket fuel is good. This is a lot of resources being spent.”
