Kate Perry gives first glimpse of space capsule set to launch her into the history books

Perry, author Lauren Sanchez, TV presenter Gayle King, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, former rocket scientist Aisha Bowe and filmmaker Kerianne Flynn are due to launch in Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin in just a matter of hours.

The trip will only last around 11 minutes in total, setting off from the Launch Site One in West Texas.

Despite the brief nature of the trip the women will be able to say they’ve crossed the boundary into space once they hit their maximum height of 100km above the ground.

However, now fears have emerged for the star’s safety after it was revealed that in 2021 a group of employees shared their concerns with the company about the safety of the capsule Perry will be flying in.

In a letter published by Business Insider in 2021, a group of 21 current and former employees at Blue Origin expressed their concerns about the rocket’s safety and insisted they would not travel on it.

“In the opinion of an engineer who has signed on to this essay, ‘Blue Origin has been lucky that nothing has happened so far,” read the letter. “Many of this essay’s authors say they would not fly on a Blue Origin vehicle.”

Space flight is one of the most dangerous methods of travel, with around one percent of flights in the US resulting in a death.

At the time, Blue Origin released a statement insisting in the safety of their space program.

“We stand by our safety record and believe that New Shepard is the safest space vehicle ever designed or built,” the company said.

Previously the company’s flights were grounded in August of 2022 following an engine mishap.

n engine nozzle malfunction and forced the New Shepard capsule to abort and blast itself away from the rocket where it parachuted to a safe landing.

Fans rushed to social media to share their concerns for the pop star, with one writing: “Is anyone else getting a Titanic submersibal feeling about this?” while another remarked: “Something doesn’t feel right, I’m worried for her.”

In a new clip shared on her Instagram, Perry, who had a much maligned comeback last year, has given fans the first-look inside the their capsule which is set to house all six of them together.

“I think I’m gonna sing,” she said the star. “I’ve got to sing in space!”

“These are all of my astronaut girly friends,” she continued as she showed off in inside of the capsule.

Perry’s trip is the 11th human flight for the Blue Origin program, which has taken passengers, including the company’s billionaire founder Jeff Bezos, to space since 2021.

Blue Origin already holds a NASA contract to build a lunar lander for one of the upcoming Artemis missions, which will return Americans to the Moon.

Earlier this week, Perry shared that she felt like she had numerous signs from the universe that said she was on the right path for choosing to embark on the journey to space.

She said: “When I was invited to come on this voyage, I looked up the capsule. On the very front of it is the outline in the shape of a feather and when I saw that it was like a total confirmation because my mum has always called me feather.

“And so I’m in space training today and there’s a lot to digest. We’re almost finished with the day and they showed us the capsule and we run simulations in another capsule and tested the noise and what to expect and all these different things and they reveal the capsule name.

“The capsule’s name is Tortoise. A wave, just the most energetic wave, just shot through my body. And I was like, ‘What? This capsule’s name is Tortoise?’

“My mum calls me two nicknames. Feather and tortoise. What are the chances that I’m going to space on a rocket in a capsule with my symbol, the feather, called Tortoise?”

She added: “There are no coincidences, and I’m just so grateful for these confirmations and so grateful that I feel like something bigger than me is steering the ship.”