Gayle King, who was also on the flight, called Perry singing “the best part” of their minuteslong trip to the edge of space

Ingrid Vasquez is a Digital News Writer at PEOPLE. She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor in Journalism. Before joining the team, she worked as an Editor at FanSided and provided work in the celebrity and lifestyle space for brands that include Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, EW, and more.

Katy Perry kisses the ground after Blue Origin's all-female NS-31 crew return from their flight to space., The singer looked emotional after exiting the crew capsule after a brief voyage to just above the boundary of space - 62 miles above earth., Katy was part of an historic all-woman crew on Blue Origin's New Shepard 31 rocket, along with Lauren Sanchez and Gayle King., The three celebrity crew members will be joined by former NASA scientists Amanda Nguyen and Aisha Bowe, plus film producer Kerianne Flynn

Katy Perry kisses the ground after her Blue Origin flight to space on Monday, April 14. Photo: Blue Origin/Mega

As Blue Origin’s all-female flight crew floated above the Earth on Monday, April 14, they enjoyed a special soundtrack courtesy of Katy Perry.

The pop star, one of six women on the New Shepard rocket that blasted off from West Texas on Monday morning, sang a few bars of “What a Wonderful World.”

And then once they were back on solid ground, Perry — whose fiancé, Orlando Bloom, and daughter, Daisy, watched the flight from the launch area — promptly knelt down and kissed the soil.

CBS News’ Gayle King, who was also on the flight, later said Perry, 40, singing the Louis Armstrong standard was “the best part” of their 10-minute trip to the edge of space, just across the Karman line separating the atmosphere from the cosmos.

King said Perry began the tune once the feeling of zero gravity wore off.

“We’d been asking her to sing all the time and she wouldn’t,” King said on the Blue Origin livestream, noting that Perry could have sung one of her hits, like “Roar” or “Firework.”

But “she said, ‘It’s not about me, I wanted to talk about the world,’ “ King, 70, said.

Perry said on the livestream that she sang “What a Wonderful World” for “the benefit of Earth,” echoing Blue Origin’s motto. (Still, the private company’s rocket flights are not without controversy.)

New Shepard Mission NS-31 Webcast Katy Perry

Katy Perry returning to Earth after the Blue Origin space flight on Monday, April 14.Blue Origin/Youtube

King and Perry were joined by Lauren Sánchez, the fiancée of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, as well as former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn are also joining the group.

The mission was the 11th human flight for the New Shepard program and the 31st in its history, according to Blue Origin.

The group was brought together by Sánchez, according to a previous company statement.

“She is honored to lead a team of explorers on a mission that will challenge their perspectives of Earth, empower them to share their own stories, and create lasting impact that will inspire generations to come,” Blue Origin has said.

New Shepard Mission NS-31 Webcast; This screen grab taken from a Blue Origin broadcast shows Blue Origin New Shepard's flight NS-31 lift off from Launch Site One in Van Horn, West Texas, April 14, 2025. The all-female crew consists of former NASA scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics scientist Amanda Nguyen, US journalist Gayle King, US singer Katy Perry, community filmmaker Kerianne Flynn ang Jeff Bezos' fiance author Lauren Sanchez.

The Blue Origin space flight on Monday, April 14, with Katy Perry and Lauren Sánchez (left).Blue Origin/Youtube; BLUE ORIGIN/AFP via Getty

Ahead of takeoff, King expressed mixed feelings about the flight.

“It’s very interesting to be terrified and excited at the same time,” she said in an interview with Elle with her fellow space travelers.

“I haven’t felt like this since childbirth, really,” she continued. “Because I knew childbirth was going to hurt. But it’s also stepping out of your comfort zone.”