Blue Origin space flight returns to Earth with star-studded crew
Blue Origin’s all-female crew returned to Earth with celebrity astronauts on board.
Khloe Kardashian and Kris Jenner were in attendance at the star-studded Blue Origin space flight launch Monday.
The Kardashian-Jenner family members supported the celebrity space flight as it made history with the first all-female space crew in more than 60 years launched Monday from Texas.
“It’s really something,” Jenner said, adding that Kim Kardashian was supposed to attend as well but was studying for a law school exam. “It’s a very brave thing to do,” she added of the space flight. The Kardashian family is friends with Lauren Sánchez, one of the members of the flight’s six-woman crew, and her fiancé, Blue Origin (and Amazon) founder Jeff Bezos.
“It’s a really unique experience, and we’re just so honored to be here to support them and watch this amazing part of history. And I’m so proud of her,” Jenner said. “It’s very inspirational.”
Khloe Kardashian added that they were proud of all the women taking flight. “It’s so empowering. Really whatever you dream of it is in our reach,” she said. “Dream big, wish for the stars and one day you can maybe be amongst them.”
The space flight crew included pop star Katy Perry, “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King, journalist Sánchez, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen and film producer Kerianne Flynn.
The crew members, who were in flight for 11 minutes, touched down safely on Earth just a few moments after leaving. Sánchez emerged first, greated by Bezos with a kiss on the cheek before going to see her kids. Perry kissed the ground and held up the daisy she brought with her onboard. There were screams from Nguyen, cheers from Bowe, and King gestured to the sky and kneeled down to the ground. “Thank you Jesus,” King said, grabbing a handful of Texas soil.
Oprah watches Gayle King head to space
King’s best friend Oprah Winfrey watched on as the fellow famed interviewer readied to take flight and, upon lift-off, held her hands to her face in awe.
“I’ve never been more proud of my friend than today,” Winfrey said in an earlier interview, adding that she felt very calm about the whole ordeal. Winfrey, as well as King’s family, wore a bright yellow sweater in honor of King’s call sign, which is “sunshine.”
“This is bigger than just going to space,” she said of her friend, who has long been a fearful flier. “This is overcoming a wall of fear, a barrier. I think it’s going to be cathartic in so many ways for her.”
Before blast-off, King told Blue Origin that when she first began toying with the idea of going to space, her children and Winfrey signaled immediate support.
Winfrey immediately encouraged her to take the chance, King said, saying her friend pointed out how much regret she might have if she had to watch the flight take off and wonder about what it would be like to be on it.
“I think life is about continuing to grow into the best of yourself, and the fullest expression of yourself. And I think this is one of the fullest expressions of yourself that you could possibly have,” Winfrey said.
“You should always know that no dream is too big,” King said.
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