to win their first championship.

The launch brought out VIPs to West Texas including Oprah Winfrey; Kris Jenner and other members of the Kardashian family; former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison, who became the first Black woman in space in 1992; and several women who previously have flown on private flights. Winfrey, a close friend of King, wiped away tears when the capsule reached space and the passengers were heard marveling at the moon and shouting with joy.As the women were buckling up for the ride back, Perry broke into song. Despite urging by her crewmates, she resisted singing “Roar” or her other tunes and instead chose “What a Wonderful World.”

“It’s not about me. It’s not about singing my songs,” Perry said following the flight. “It’s about a collective energy in there. It’s about us.” At a news conference later, she stressed, “We weren’t just taking up space. We were making space for the future.”Bezos opened the capsule’s hatch minutes after touchdown, embracing Sanchez, the first one out. As they emerged, Perry and King kneeled and kissed the ground. “Oh my God, that was amazing,” said King, who considers herself an anxious airplane flyer.Three hours later, Sanchez said she was still trying to process everything. “Profound is like the one word I would use,” she said.

This wasn’t the first Blue Origin launch with marquee names.“Star Trek” actor William Shatner caught a lift to space with Blue Origin in 2021 at age 90, soon after Bezos’ inaugural trip. He was followed by former New York Giants defensive end and TV host Michael Strahan and Laura Shepard Churchley, the eldest daughter of Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard, for whom the rocket is named. Two aviation pioneers who missed out on space when they were younger — Wally Funk and Ed Dwight — also rocketed away at ages 82 and 90, respectively.

Most of Blue Origin’s passengers — 58 counting the latest launch — have been business or science types, TV hosts or YouTubers. Ticket prices are not disclosed.

This image taken from video provided by Blue Origin shows the New Shepard rocket blasting off in West Texas, Monday, April 14, 2025. (Blue Origin via AP)Both Williams and Shapiro served as success stories for their respective rock music scenes — proof that these subcultural sounds had real mainstream appeal.

Debris covers the ground after a small plane crashed into a San Diego neighborhood, setting homes and cars on fire and forcing evacuations early Thursday, May 22, 2025. (AP Photo/William Liang)Debris covers the ground after a small plane crashed into a San Diego neighborhood, setting homes and cars on fire and forcing evacuations early Thursday, May 22, 2025. (AP Photo/William Liang)

Williams’ band, which had two releases reach the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, was a client of Sound Talent Group. Shapiro cofounded the company in 2018 with fellow agents Tim Borror and Matt Andersen, who previously worked at the Agency Group and United Talent Agency.Sound Talent Group’s roster focused on bands in and across pop-punk, metalcore, post-hardcore and other popular hard rock subgenres — such as