'What a wonderful world': all-female crew back after Bezos space trip

Six women - including the pop star Katy Perry and the US morning TV host Gayle King - yesterday safely completed a trip to the edge of outer space and back from a private Texas ranch on a rocket owned by Jeff Bezos, the Amazon co-founder and commercial space flight entrepreneur.

- Edward Helmore

The women, who also included Bezos's fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, made the trip to the Kármán line - the internationally recognised boundary of space - to float about, weightlessly, in the rocket's capsule for three minutes before returning to Earth.

"Yeah baby, go for launch," a mission controller could be heard saying shortly before the single-engine New Shepard rocket blasted off on time, at 8.30am local time (1430 BST).

King's longtime friend, the TV chatshow host Oprah Winfrey, was on hand in Texas for the launch. Winfrey said that, for King, "this is bigger than just going to space" and "more than just overcoming fear".

"Life is about continuing to grow into the fullest expression of yourself," she said.

The chatshow queen could later be seen rubbing her eyes as the rocket reached its maximum ascent velocity of 2,300mph - or Mach 3. As the rocket reached its highest point, about 62 miles above the Earth, a passenger could be heard to exclaim: "Oh my goddess." Another could be heard saying: "I love you, Jeff Bezos."