Katy Perry is set to blast off into space this afternoon, with an all-women crew on Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket. The 40-year-old singer will be joined by Bezos's fiancée Lauren Sánchez, CBS presenter Gayle King, former Nasa rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and film producer Kerianne Flynn.
The space tourism rocket is due to lift off from its West Texas launch site, with the launch window set to open at 08.30am local time (2.30pm UK time). The flight is expected to last around 11 minutes and take the crew more than 100km (62 miles) above Earth. As part of the experience, those on board the rocket will be able to take in breathtaking views while feeling a few moments of weightlessness.
Speaking about taking on the venture when it was first announced, the Dark Horse singer shared on her Instagram account: "If you had told me that I would be part of the first-ever all-female crew in space, I would have believed you. Nothing was beyond my imagination as a child. Although we didn't grow up with much, I never stopped looking at the world with hopeful WONDER!"
