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In a landmark moment for commercial space travel and gender representation, pop icon Katy Perry and five other accomplished women soared into space aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, marking the company’s first all-female crewed mission.
Describing the experience as “the highest high,” Perry told the New York Post, “I couldn’t recommend this experience more.” She added, “It’s about making space for future women and taking up space and belonging. This is all for the benefit of Earth.” Perry also revealed she plans to write a song inspired by her cosmic journey.
Joining Perry on the 10-minute space tourism flight were:
- Gayle King, CBS Mornings co-host and seasoned broadcaster
- Lauren Sánchez, former journalist and fiancée of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos
- Aisha Bowe, former NASA rocket scientist
- Amanda Nguyen, bioastronautics researcher and civil rights activist
- Kerianne Flynn, a film producer
The mission, named NS-31, reached what is internationally recognised as the edge of space — the Kármán Line — making it the first Blue Origin flight with an all-women crew to cross this symbolic threshold.
So, What Is the Kármán Line Katy Perry and Others Crossed?
The Kármán Line sits 100 kilometers (or about 62 miles) above mean sea level. It is widely accepted as the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. While it may sound like a sharp line in the sky, the truth is far more complex.
The Earth’s atmosphere doesn’t just stop at a certain height — it gradually thins out. So, defining where “space” begins is more of a conceptual and legal challenge than a physical one. There’s no abrupt shift in pressure or air composition at 100 km, and gravity still tugs at objects near this region. Even Earth’s atmosphere continues well beyond it.
So why have a line at all?
The Need for a Boundary: Regulation and Recognition
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), a global record-keeping body, established the Kármán Line in the 1960s to help distinguish between airspace (which nations can legally claim) and outer space (which, like international waters, belongs to everyone).
According to international law, as stated by NOAA, “outer space shall be free for exploration and use by all.” But because there’s no universally binding definition of where space begins, interpretations differ.
- NASA and the U.S. military, for example, set the boundary lower, at around 80 km (50 miles).
- The FAI and much of the international community, however, adhere to the 100 km mark.
This boundary also holds symbolic weight. Crossing it qualifies an individual as an astronaut under many international standards, even though from a scientific standpoint, crossing it may not drastically change physical conditions.
Why the Kármán Line Still Matters
Though the Kármán Line doesn’t mark a dramatic physical transformation, it is essential for legal, regulatory, and technological reasons. It essentially marks the altitude beyond which conventional aircraft can no longer function, requiring spacecraft-like propulsion systems to continue.
In this sense, it serves as a reference point for what kind of technology and governance is needed — and it provides a symbolic goalpost for private and national space missions alike.
So while Katy Perry and her crewmates may not have floated into the vast depths of space, their crossing of the Kármán Line represents a significant human milestone, both personally and symbolically.
