Ex rocket scientist Aisha Bowe to embark on Blue Origin's historic all-women spaceflight

Aisha Bowe is among the six crew members selected for Blue Origin’s upcoming New Shepard mission, NS-31, which aims to reach the Kármán line—the internationally recognized boundary of space. Conducted by Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company, this milestone mission marks a significant moment in spaceflight, featuring an all-women crew that includes Amanda Nguyen, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, Gayle King, and Lauren Sanchez.

The launch is scheduled for April 14 from Blue Origin’s site in West Texas.

Who is Aisha Bowe?

Aisha Bowe is a former NASA rocket scientist, entrepreneur, and soon-to-be astronaut whose journey from discovering a love for math to preparing for spaceflight has inspired audiences around the world. According to her official website, she began her career at NASA’s Ames Research Center in 2009 as a Mission Engineer, where she worked on nanosatellite missions and helped develop methods to optimize air traffic safety and fuel efficiency.

In 2013, Bowe founded STEMBoard, a tech company that delivers advisory services to high-level US government clients. Her entrepreneurial spirit continued in 2022 when she raised nearly $2 million to launch LINGO, a hands-on coding kit now used in classrooms across 10 countries to teach technical concepts.

Her story has been spotlighted by major media outlets including Entrepreneur, Wired, and The Kelly Clarkson Show, and she was featured in the documentary In Her Element. A proud member of both the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Bowe has received numerous accolades, including NASA's Engineering Honor Award, STEM for Her’s Woman of the Year, and the Black Enterprise Luminary Award.

With the NS-31 mission, Aisha Bowe is set to become the first Black woman to fly with Jeff Bezos’ spaceflight company, and is expected to be only the sixth Black woman in history to cross the Kármán line.