Blue Origin launches an all-female celebrity crew with Katy Perry, Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez

Pop star Katy Perry became the biggest name in an all-woman group to safely blast off into space on Monday, roaring into the cosmos on one of billionaire Jeff Bezos's rockets.

The "Firework" and "California Gurls" singer was lifted more than 100 kilometers above the Earth's surface atop a Blue Origin's New Sheperd rocket. 

Five other women including Bezos' fiancee Lauren Sanchez also joined the flight, which took off from western Texas shortly 8:30 a.m. before landing again some 10 minutes later.

Their fully automated craft rose vertically before the crew capsule detached mid-flight, later falling back to the ground, slowed by parachutes and a retro rocket.

Monday's mission is the first all-woman space crew since Valentina Tereshkova's historic solo flight in 1963.

It is also the 11th sub-orbital crewed operation by Blue Origin, which has offered the space tourism experiences for several years. Most of Blue Origin's passengers – 58 including the latest launch – have been business or science types, TV hosts or YouTubers. Ticket prices are not disclosed.

The company does not publicly communicate the price of trips made possible by its New Shepard rocket.

The flight brought the passengers beyond the Karman line – the internationally recognized boundary of space.

Sanchez, a helicopter pilot and former TV journalist, invited the others along for the 10-minute, fully automated flight, packing on the star power with singer-songwriter Perry and “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King. King's close friend – talk show legend Oprah Winfrey – was among those watching the launch in Texas. 

Also sharing the ride were film producer Kerianne Flynn; Aisha Bowe, a former NASA engineer who started her own companies to promote science education; and Amanda Nguyen, a scientist who studied planets around other stars and now advocates for survivors of sexual violence.

(With input from agencies)