For many people, going to space is a goal, though, for the vast majority of people, it feels entirely out of reach. For starters—and without becoming an astronaut—how does one even begin the process of “going to space?” Well Gayle King not only started that elusive process, but she’s going! Gayle, along with five other women, will embark on the 11th human flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepherd program.
You might be asking yourself: what is Blue Origin? What is Blue Origin’s New Shepherd program? All great questions.
Blue Origin is a company founded by Jeff Bezos that, according to its website (which is basically an advertisement for hopping on a space ship—you have to call for prices and can “book your flight”), envisions “a future where millions of people will live and work in space with a single-minded purpose: to restore and sustain Earth, our blue origin.” Part of that goal is through the space tourism industry (again, see website), and specifically through Blue Origin’s New Shepherd vehicle, which takes individuals to the Kármán Line, recognized as the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and space.
Yes, Gayle King is about to get a front row (or window seat) to outer space as part of Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission along with former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen, pop music superstar Katy Perry, filmmaker Kerianne Flynn and award-winning journalist Lauren Sánchez. The flight is slated to launch later this spring.
Previous crew members on flights to the edges of space include company founder Jeff Bezos, William Shatner, and Michael Strahan, among others; to date, 52 people in total have taken the flight on New Shepherd since its maiden flight in 2021.
You might also be wondering if this is something that Gayle King has always wanted to do.
“This was never my dream. It was never my dream,” said King to “CBS Mornings. “And somebody said, maybe you need to have new dreams, Gayle.” Well, alright then!
In deciding whether to take the opportunity—she was invited—she spoke to the folks who mattered most to her: her children and Oprah Winfrey (who surprisingly has yet to do this very thing), who told her, in a nutshell, to not live life with regrets.
“Once Kirby and Will and Oprah were fine with it, I was fine. I thought Oprah would say no, no. She said, ‘I think if you don’t do it, when they all come back and you had the opportunity to do it, you will be kicking yourself.’ She’s right,” shared King, espousing a life lesson many people could benefit from.
King, who celebrated her 70th birthday in December, admits to having some fears but is also very excited about the prospect of doing something that very few humans have been able to do. But she’s ultimately ready to embark on the historic mission as part of Blue Origin’s first all women crew.
“I don’t know how to explain being terrified and excited at the same time.”
We understand, Gayle.
