ONTARIO, Calif. (AP) — After an extended day of rehearsing for her upcoming world tour, Katy Perry determined to peruse just a few books to assist her unwind earlier than mattress.

“I used to be listening to ‘Cosmos’ by Carl Sagan and studying a guide on string idea,” she recalled. “I’ve all the time been excited by astrophysics and excited by astronomy and astrology and the celebrities. We’re all manufactured from stardust and all of us come from the celebrities.”

However the pop celebrity was motivated by extra than simply curiosity. On Monday, she’s going to be a part of Jeff Bezos’ fiancee Lauren Sanchez, journalist Gayle King and three different girls on an all-female Blue Origin spaceflight. Perry spoke with The Related Press at her Southern California rehearsal area on Wednesday, days earlier than she was set to depart for coaching in Texas.

“I’m speaking to myself day by day and going, ‘You’re courageous, you’re daring, you might be doing this for the following technology to encourage so many alternative individuals however particularly younger ladies to go, “I’ll go to area sooner or later.” No limitations,’” she mentioned.

Perry mentioned she has been “psychologically” making ready for the spaceflight by studying work from the late Sagan and different scientists.

“I’m actually excited concerning the engineering of all of it. I’m excited to be taught extra about STEM and simply the maths about what it takes to perform the sort of factor,” she mentioned.

An all-female spaceflight appears an apt endeavor for the 40-year-old Perry, whose assortment of hits embrace songs about extraterrestrials (“E.T.”) and fireworks capturing throughout the sky (“Firework”), in addition to feminist anthems like her 2013 hit, “Roar,” and “WOMAN’S WORLD,” off her most latest album.

Perry mentioned that at any time when she is doing one thing new or daunting, she appears to be like inward for energy and confidence.

“Utilizing that female divine that I used to be born with and positively unlocked after I had my daughter much more. It leveled up for positive. Being a mom simply makes you degree up with that kind of energy,” she mentioned. Her daughter, Daisy, 4, joined Perry earlier than her rehearsal.

Bezos’ rocket firm Blue Origin introduced the crew in February. Sanchez, a helicopter pilot and former TV journalist, picked the ladies who will be a part of her on a 10-minute spaceflight from West Texas aboard a New Shepard rocket. Perry, Sanchez and King will probably be joined by Aisha Bowe, a former NASA rocket scientist who now heads an engineering agency, analysis scientist Amanda Nguyen and film producer Kerianne Flynn.

“I’m feeling so grateful and grounded and honored to be invited and included with this unimaginable group of girls,” Perry mentioned. Every time she will get nervous concerning the journey, she reminds herself how necessary it’s.

Blue Origin has flown vacationers on brief hops to area since 2021, after Bezos climbed aboard along with his brother for the inaugural journey; the upcoming journey would be the firm’s eleventh human spaceflight. Some passengers have obtained free rides, whereas others have paid a hefty sum to expertise weightlessness. The corporate declined to touch upon who’s footing the invoice for Monday’s flight.

The information of the upcoming journey has not been with out critiques, most not too long ago from actor Olivia Munn, who bemoaned the mission’s price and publicity. However Perry believes an all-women crew — the primary since Valentina Tereshkova’s solo spaceflight in 1963 — has historic ramifications. Solely 14% of people that have gone to area to this point have been girls.

“It’s an necessary second for the way forward for business area journey and for humanity generally and for girls throughout,” she mentioned. “I simply really feel like, ‘Put us in coach.’”

This story has been corrected to report that 14% of people that have gone to area have been girls, not 11%.