Who will be next celeb blasted into space? Prime contenders for Jeff Bezos’ next star-studded Blue Origin crew
SPACE is set to be flooded with even more stars in the future following pop icon Katy Perry’s successful mission this week.
The Roar hitmaker made a historic journey on board Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket capsule – but which other famous faces could soon put on a spacesuit as part of the next star-studded crew?
Superstar Perry became the first popstar to travel beyond the edge of space aboard Blue Origin’s reusable New Shepard rocket on Monday.
She was joined by Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sanchez, TV icon Gayle King, ex-NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and film producer Kerianne Flynn.
The six women returned to Earth full of excitement and joy as they joined a unique club of people to ever reach the Kármán line – the internationally recognised boundary of space.
Their positive reviews of the trip and thrilling tales of what it was really like on board a real space capsule are sure to have reignited hopes among others of going on a similar trip.
But the price of going to space remains astronomical for the average person.
Blue Origin has never publicly disclosed how much it costs to go on a trip but they do charge a whopping $150,000 to reserve a single seat.
This huge starting price has meant that analysts believe a complete space ticket could cost anywhere up to $475,000 in total.
Leaving the general public with very little chance of securing a spot to space.
But for the rich and famous, a trip into orbit is not only affordable but becoming more and more likely ever since Katy Perry’s visit.
The superstar singer was gifted a seat by Bezos as he continues to test out the Blue Origin capsules and promote his space company to the world.
And the world’s second richest man isn’t the only person who is opening the door to celebs to head of into space.
His main rival – both in the space travel industry and in the battle of the billionaires – Elon Musk is also open to sending people into the galaxy through SpaceX.
Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic service is also offering out tickets.
This means getting to space is easier than ever for those who wish to fly away for a fleeting through minutes.
Several musicians, actors and top media personalities have already put their names in the hat for a potential space mission on day – including Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian and even Ivanka Trump.
KIM KARDASHIAN
The famous model, turned trainee US lawyer, was actually invited to be one of the women on board the Blue Origin capsule this week.
Kim and her mom Kris Jenner were both asked to go – but turned it down for two reasons, The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed.
A source said: “Kris and Kim were offered to go on the Blue Origin.
“Kris absolutely did not want to go for safety concerns and not wanting to put herself in a risky position being a mom and a grandma.
“Kim was more open to it but had scheduling conflicts. Maybe in the future, especially seeing how much of a success this flight was.”
The billionaire beaut, 44, has already tried her hand at dozens of different jobs across her life with a spacewoman potentially next up.
Kris and sister Khloe Kardashian were also in attendance in Texas as they watched Monday’s launch.
PARIS HILTON
Fifteen years ago, the concept of space tourism was started to attract the stars with dozens of celebs buying a ticket to go outside of Earth’s orbit.
One of these was reality TV star turned business woman Paris Hilton.
The now 44-year-old reportedly purchased a Virgin Galactic ticket in 2008.
She was due to set off on the first commercial space flight in the Virgin Enterprise – Brit Richard Branson’s suborbital DeLorean.
In the end, Hilton never actually boarded a spaceship but her dreams of intergalactic travel could have been reignited after watching Perry and her crew.
Back in 2008, the TV icon did admit to the Guardian that she was “very scared” to go to space.
She said: “What if I don’t come back? What if I come back 10,000 years later, and everyone I know is dead?
“I’ll be like, ‘Great. Now I have to start all over.'”
IVANKA TRUMP
The daughter of the US President Donald Trump is one of the more likely candidates to go to space due to her links to Elon Musk and NASA.
Back in 2018, Ivanka revealed she always dreamed of being an astronaut as a child.
She spoke to crew on board the Intentional Space Station from NASA’s Mission Control Center as she said: “I think I can speak for all of us here to say you inspire us all. You actually have my dream job,
“I always wanted to be an astronaut, and I always wanted to go to space. You are fulfilling my dream up there.”
The Trump’s have always had an obsession with space with Trump even declaring he wants to put a man on Mars in the near future.
A date is yet to be announced for a potential first Martian mission but Trump said at his inauguration in January that he wants the US to fulfil its “destiny into the stars”.
Tech billionaire Musk is the man touted to lead the Mars charge due to his close relationship with Trump and his hugely successful SpaceX company.
JUSTIN BIEBER
Pop sensation Justin Bieber once announced he wanted to shoot a music video up in space.
In 2013, the Love Yourself singer was already one of the biggest heartthrobs on the planet despite still being a teenager.
He had already conquered the musical charts and became close friends to some of Hollywood’s most loved names – leaving him itching for a new challenge.
So he signed up for a trip to space with Richard Branson.
Bieber was prepared to go on a Virgin Galactic trip after buying a ticket alongside his manager at the time Scooter Braun.
In a 2013 resurfaced tweet, Branson said: “Great to hear @justinbieber & @scooterbraun are the latest @virgingalactic future astronauts.
“Congrats, see you up there!”
Replying to the message, Bieber wrote: “Let’s shoot a music video in SPACE!! #nextLEVEL.”
The ambitious plan never quite took off and in the two decades since he has gone on to marry wife Hailey and father a baby boy.
But if a lucrative offer was to come in to send the multi-award winning artist to space, he could be tempted to follow Perry’s footsteps by singing in a rocketship.
RIHANNA
The beloved singer and Fenty Beauty creator was another celebrity who wanted to go to space so badly in the early 2010s that she actually purchased three tickets.
Rihanna reportedly dropped a whopping $500,000 on the tickets in 2013 and planned to take herself, brother Rorrey and a bodyguard with her.
It would have again been with Branson’s Virgin Galactic meaning Rihanna could have featured on Bieber’s space song.
Is Katy Perry technically an astronaut?
NO, Katy Perry is not technically an astronaut, even though she went into space.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and NASA have specific requirements and designations for astronauts, which the pop star did not fulfil.
While she flew on the Blue Origin New Shepard rocket and experienced space, she didn’t pilot the flight or fulfil other requirements.
Perry is considered a “space traveller” or “space tourist” rather than an astronaut.