Gayle King Makes History as Part of Blue Origin’s First All-Female Space Mission

The CBS anchor joins Lauren Sánchez, Katy Perry, Amanda Nguyen, Aisha Bowe and Kerianne Flynn in literally reaching for the stars.

Gayle King was photographed by Yu Tsai in Mexico. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

After decades of fearless journalism, Gayle King is taking on her biggest assignment yet: a trip to space. The CBS Mornings cohost and SI Swimsuit cover model is set to join Blue Origin’s first all-female space mission, launching this spring.

King, who posed for the magazine with photographer Yu Tsai in Mexico last year, is no stranger to breaking barriers. But even with decades of fearless journalism under her belt, she admits that stepping into the final frontier is a challenge like no other. “I’m so afraid, but I’m so excited,” King said on CBS Mornings today. “I just thought, ‘What a unique opportunity.’”

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CBS celebrated the moment with a playful Star Wars-themed video montage of King interviewing astronauts over the years, ending with the perfect tagline: “Tune in this spring to watch our star fly among the stars.”

She won’t be making the journey alone. The six-person crew, hand-selected by Lauren Sánchez—journalist, pilot and vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund—includes Grammy Award-winning pop star Katy Perry, civil rights activist and bioastronautics researcher Amanda Nguyen, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe and film producer Kerianne Flynn.

Sánchez, who is also Jeff Bezos’s fiancée, took to Instagram to celebrate the groundbreaking mission: “I am beyond excited to share the news of my @BlueOrigin space flight this spring and the fearless explorers who are coming with me,” she wrote. “I really see this group as explorers and storytellers, each of us about to be changed by a remarkable view of our beautiful planet. The countdown starts now! 🚀 #takingupspace.”

The flight will be an 11-minute trip past the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space, marking the first all-women mission since Valentina Tereshkova’s solo flight in 1963. Blue Origin has already sent 52 people to space, as announced on Thursday, Feb. 27, on Instagram with a “Meet the New Shepard NS-31 crew” post and article.

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King, 70, obviously gave her bff Oprah Winfrey the exclusive for Oprah Daily and divulged more about how she came to the decision. The talk show host even told King, “If you don’t do it and see everyone come back so excited, you will be kicking yourself.”

The mom of two said she’s honored to be part of this historic mission, even though venturing into space was never on her bucket list. “You’re talking to someone who doesn’t even ride on roller coasters,” she joked.

Before saying yes, she gave the opportunity serious thought, weighing the risks and seeking advice from friends, family, doctors and even those who had already experienced space travel. After careful consideration, she decided to embrace the challenge and the unknown.

“I think about the wonder of it all and what kind of message this will send to show that an all-women group is fearless enough to do this,” she shared. “And I also think of my grandchildren—my 3-year-old grandson, Luca, loves all things space, and he’ll get to see me go to space, and that’s really exciting for me.”