Katy Perry, William Shatner, and 5 More Celebrities Who Traveled to Space
Celebrity space tourism is back in the spotlight after Blue Origin’s first all-female crew briefly left Earth this week.
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Despite public backlash, Katy Perry, Gayle King, and the history-making NS-31 crew are still savoring their short but powerful excursion to space. The pop star and TV host were among the six-person team to rocket into the skies Tuesday with Blue Origin, the space exploration company founded by Jeff Bezos.
The roughly 10-minute mission marked the first time a Blue Origin mission featured an all-female crew. Other passengers included film producer Kerianne Flynn, activist and astronaut Amanda Nguyen, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, and Bezos’ fiancée, Lauren Sánchez.
“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 of launch,” said Perry, who traveled with a photo and flower in honor of her 4-year-old daughter, Daisy.
Unlike true astronauts, the group didn’t fly into deep space—only about 62 miles and just past the Kárnán Line, which is considered the boundary separating Earth’s atmosphere. Still, they ventured further from their planetary home than most can brag.
However, Perry and King aren’t the only high-profile celebrities to take a high-speed detour. Here are five others who can say they’ve made it to space.
Jeff Bezos
You didn’t expect Jeff Bezos to start Blue Origin without scheduling a flight himself? Sure enough, the multi-billionaire took his own New Shepard rocket for a spin in July 2021.
Bezos, 61, and his fellow passengers—his brother Mark among them—paid tribute to past pioneers of exploration. They took goggles worn by Amelia Earhart and a piece of canvas from Wilbur and Orville Wright’s plane aboard the craft.
After landing, Bezos compared the Blue Origin program to his founding of e-commerce giant Amazon. “What we’re doing is the first step of something big. And I know what that feels like,” he said.
Richard Branson
While Bezos and Blue Origin accelerated the space tourism craze, Richard Branson kicked it off with his company Virgin Galactic. The brand achieved suborbital space flight for the first time in December 2018, with its VSS Unity craft.
Branson, 74, went for a ride himself in July 2021—just days before Bezos—and soon opened ticket sales to the public. “The mission statement that I wrote inside my spacesuit was to turn the dream of space travel into a reality for my grandchildren... and for many people who are alive today, for everybody,” Branson said.
The dream is a costly one, though: Virgin Galactic tickets are going for $600,000 according to the company website.
William Shatner
It only makes sense that William Shatner—who played Captain James T. Kirk on Star Trek—ventured to the “final frontier” in real life.
Shatner became the oldest person to go to space at age 90 when he traveled with Blue Origin in 2021. But instead of reveling in his unique accomplishment, the actor compared seeing the darkness of space to a funeral.
“It was among the strongest feelings of grief I have ever encountered,” he told Variety. “The contrast between the vicious coldness of space and the warm nurturing of Earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness.”
Astronauts call this noticeable cognitive shift caused by seeing Earth from above the “Overview Effect.”
Michael Strahan
Former New York Giants linebacker Michael Strahan went on a, well, giant adventure to space on his Blue Origin flight in December 2021. He was an “honorary guest” and didn’t have to pay for his voyage.
Strahan, 53, flew at speeds surpassing 2,200 mph. “It’s such... almost like an out-of-body experience. It’s hard to even believe it happened,” he told colleague Amy Robach after returning to terra firma.
Joining the Good Morning America host among the six-person crew was Laura Shepard Churchley, the daughter of Apollo 14 astronaut Alan Shepard. Alan is also the namesake for Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket.
Emily Calandrelli
Engineer, TV host, and TikTok personality Emily Calandrelli lived up to her nickname “The Space Girl” when she traveled on her own Blue Origin flight in November 2024. In doing so, she achieved a milestone as the 100th woman to reach space.
But while many women lauded the bravery of Calandrelli, host of the educational series Emily’s Wonder Lab on Netflix, footage of her journey also sparked derogatory comments from online trolls.
“I refuse to give much time to the small men on the internet. I feel experiences in my soul,” Calandrelli said in response. “I will not apologize or feel weird about my reaction. It’s wholly mine and I love it.”
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
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