When is Katy Perry going to space? How to watch Blue Origin launch

The crew of Blue Origin's NS-31: Gayle King, Aisha Bowe, Lauren Sánchez, Amanda Nguyễn, Katy Perry and Kerianne Flynn. | Blue Origin

Popstar Katy Perry is among the all women crew set to blast into space later today aboard one of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rockets.

The 40-year-old is part of a six-woman crew on the New Shepard NS-31 mission, organised and led by his partner, journalist Lauren Sánchez. It is the first all-female space flight in more than 60 years.

Selected by Sánchez, the crew also includes former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe - who completed her astronaut training at Aberdeen company 3t’s Houston training centre earlier this month - bioastronautics research scientist and activist Amanda Nguyễn, American journalist and presenter Gayle King, and filmmaker Kerianne Flynn.

Launching from West Texas today, here’s everything you need to know about Katy Perry heading to space, from why she’s going to when the flight launches and how to watch.

The crew of Blue Origin's NS-31. | Blue Origin

When is Katy Perry going to space? Blue Origin launch time

The launch window for Katy Perry’s Blue Origin space flight will open today (Monday, April 14) at 8.30am local time or 2.30pm in the UK.

The NS-31 mission will lift off from Launch Site One in West Texas and is expected to last around 11 minutes. It will pass over the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space, around 100km (62 miles) above Earth.

Blue Origin's New Shepard lift off. | Blue Origin

It will mark the 11th human flight as part of the New Shepard program, which has flown 52 people above the Kármán line.

How to watch Blue Origin launch live

There will be a live webcast available to watch from 1pm in the UK (7am local time), which will be hosted by sports commentator Charissa Thompson and journalist Kristin Fisher, as well as Ariane Cornell, the Vice President of In-Space Systems at Blue Origin.

The webcast will be made available through Blue Origin’s X profile, while live launch updates can be found on Blue Origin’s website.

How long will Katy Perry be in space?

The NS-31 mission is a short one, with the flight expected to last around 11 minutes.

During the short trip into space, the crew will have about four minutes of weightlessness to float around in while taking in views of Earth. The capsule will then descend to Earth using three parachutes.

Why is Katy Perry going to space?

On Sunday, Perry shared a video on Instagram writing: “I’ve dreamt of going to space for 15 years and tomorrow that dream becomes a reality.

“I am so honoured to be alongside five other incredible and inspiring women as we become the first ever all-female flight space crew!”

She showed off her seat on the capsule the crew had been training in, pointing out where the others would sit and stating that she was planning to “sing in space”.

Does this make Katy Perry an astronaut?

Technically, no, Perry’s place aboard the NS-31 mission will not make her an astronaut.

While New Shepard passengers receive two-days worth of training which focuses on physical fitness, emergency protocols, safety measures and zero gravity procedures, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), NASA and US military, all have different eligibility requirements for people to become commercial astronauts.

The FAA have three main requirements regarding commercial launches: crew members must be employed by an FAA-certified company performing the launch; they must reach an altitude higher than 50 miles above the surface of the Earth during flight; and, finally, they must have demonstrated activities during the mission that were "essential to public safety, or contributed to human space flight safety”.

The New Shepard Booster landing. | Blue Origin

The spacecraft is fully autonomous, requiring no pilots and with no crew to manually operate the vehicle, which will disqualify them from the title.

How much does it cost for a Blue Origin space flight?

To even think about heading to space with Bezos’ Blue Origin, you would first need to pay a deposit of $150,000 - that’s around £114,000 - to reserve a seat.

While it is fully refundable, travelling to space remains a highly exclusive experience with prices often varying from passenger to passenger.

Virgin Galactic also offer commercial space travel, charging around $450,000 (£342,000) for a 90-minute trip.