The coming launch of Blue Origin is by far the most boring private mission to date

The private space flight enters its peak era with the upcoming launch of the new Shepard rocket by Blue Origin, sending a team that includes a fallen pop star and Jeff Bezos’ partner on the edge of the space.

Blue Origin has set a date for its next private mission, which will launch a team of six private astronauts aboard the company’s new Shepard rocket. The NS-31, the 11th crew mission of Blue Origin, is scheduled for Monday, April 14, on the ONE launch site in western Texas, the company announcement THURSDAY.

The mission will launch an entirely female team which includes singer Katy Perry, the personality of television and the best friend of Oprah, Gayle King, and the fiancée of Bezos, Lauren Sánchez. The former scientist of the NASA rockets Aisha Bowe, the civil rights activist, Amanda Nguyen, will also be on board, and the film producer Kerianne Flynn. Although some members of the crew make sense, the others are flashy supplements with a fairly expensive trip to suborbital heights where, a spoiler alert, they will simply float for about two minutes, everything at all for no 11 minutes.

Blue I resumed its private space flight companies last year After a two -year interruption due to takeoff dysfunction of the new Shepard rocket. In September 2022, a New Shepard’s unrelated flight ended with flames About a minute after takeoff. Although these rocket trips become more frequent, they are always risky.

“I did not hide the fact that I am very nervous, but also very excited”, King said On his daily program CBS Mornings After the announcement. “And I only ask people, when you see me in the street, don’t tell me not to go … I just want people to delight me.” It’s good, but also, don’t leave.

In the past, some of these private missions have included useful scientific charges to carry out research in the microgravity environment. This one, however, seems to be to boast a entirely female team led by Sánchez to embark on a “mission that will question their earth prospects, will allow them to share their own stories and create a lasting impact that will inspire the generations to come,” wrote Blue Origin.

It seems that most mission objectives could be achieved from the ground rather than paying a high price for a seat on New Shepard. The very first seat on the Blue Origin rocket sold for $ 28 million Thanks to a global auction in 2021. The price of a ticket on the company’s space tourism walks has not been made public, although reports suggested that a seat on New Shepard costs around $ 1.25 million.

In addition to its price, SpaceFlight should not simply be open to Randos like Perry. Call me a purist, but what does Perry really have to do with space? It is so frivolous, especially at a time when there is so much control over the NASA budget and the continuous efforts of the current administration to reduce the labor agency’s workforce.

Yes, the goal is to make space more accessible to everyone, but we are certainly not yet there to see how exclusive these trips are. In the meantime, a private space flight is moving towards this very odious time which will probably alie most people of natural wonder and the interest in exploring the cosmos.