Gayle King is preparing to blast into space for a historic mission later this year.
The CBS Mornings star will join an all-female crew aboard Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin space flight this spring.
CBS Mornings presented the breaking news with a movie trailer on their show. The trailer featured throwback clips of earlier space missions and Gayle talking about her reluctance over the years to ever journey into space.
In one interview clip, she mentioned she preferred watching space shuttle launches from the comfort of her home, wearing pajamas.
During a split-screen segment with a colleague, he told her they’d get her into space one day, but she dismissed the idea.
Their video, shared on social media, also featured the Star Wars-style movie text description scrolling up into space.
“This spring, one brave woman will put all her reservations aside for a historic launch to space,” part of the text said as a narrator spoke.
“Our very own @gayleking is going where few have gone before — aboard a historic @blueorigin flight into space with superstar Katy Perry, philanthropist Lauren Sanchez, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and film producer Kerianne Flynn,” CBS Mornings said in their Instagram post caption.
Lauren Sanchez shared her excitement for the upcoming Blue Origin trip
Lauren Sanchez, the fiancee of Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, shared an Instagram video expressing her excitement about the trip.
“They just announced our Blue Origin space flight. If someone would’ve told me that I would be able to go to space one day, I would’ve definitely…laughed. I can’t believe it’s happening,” she said.
Sanchez said her father used to teach others how to fly, and she’d “hang around the hangar.”
“I thought dreaming of becoming a pilot was a huge deal, and this is even bigger,” she said.
Sanchez referred to the other women on the trip as “extraordinary” and “incredible in all of their fields.”
“But more incredibly, they’re incredible storytellers,” Sanchez said, adding she hoped the trip would be “transformative for them and all of the people they tell their story to.”
She told others to swipe on her IG post to “meet the rest of the crew.” Her carousel included photos of Gayle, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, singer Katy Perry, film producer Kerianne Flynn, and aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe.
Gayle and her fans are ‘excited’ and ‘scared’ about the space trip, but Oprah approved
Many friends and fans, including actor Wilmer Valderrama, reacted to Gayle’s big news in the Instagram comment section.
“Yes Gayle!!!!! You deserve this! An amazing moment for all of us who love you!” he wrote.
“I just started crying! I’m so scared for Gayle but happy at the same time. I love your star power and see it shining,” a commenter said.
“I agree with you, I”m scared for her!” a commenter replied.
Others commented, “SOOOOO PROUD AND EXCITED! Is there anything you CANT do?!?” and “If there ever would be a cure for her fear of flying, this would be it! Go @gayleking, go!”
According to CBS News, this spring mission is the 11th human flight for Blue Origin’s New Shepard program. The trip involves traveling 62 miles above sea level to the Karman line. That line is the recognized spot separating the Earth’s atmosphere from space.
CBS News reports that 52 others took that trip with Blue Origin’s New Shepard program. They include Bezos, actor William Shatner, and Good Morning America’s Michael Strahan.
According to Gayle on CBS Mornings, she is “terrified and excited at the same time” and likened it to how she felt about having a baby. However, she first ran the idea of this space mission by her children and best friend, Oprah Winfrey.
“Once Kirby and Will and Oprah was fine with it, I was fine,” she said, adding, “I thought Oprah would say no, no. She said, ‘I think if you don’t do it, when they all come back and you had the opportunity to do it, you will be kicking yourself.’ She’s right.”
She explained that while going to space was never one of her dreams, she decided she wanted to try new adventures and step out of her comfort zone.
“I feel well prepared. I believe in Blue Origin, what they’re doing. I am really excited and actually looking forward to it,” Gayle said.