Katy Perry and Lauren Sanchez, along with four other women, reached the Karman line during Blue Origin's latest flight but are not classified as astronauts. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) states that the crew is ineligible due to the New Shepard spacecraft's autonomous nature, which precludes any in-flight control or responsibility for safety. Although FAA had previously recognized flights above 50 miles for astronaut status, increased regulations in 2021 require active participation in flight safety, which these space tourists did not have. Instead, they are labeled as 'space travellers.'
However, the New Shepard spacecraft was designed to be autonomous, meaning no-one on board controlled any aspects of the flight. This makes the women ineligible for official astronaut status.
In 2021, the FAA added the requirement that the crew member had demonstrated activities during flight that were essential to public safety, or contributed to human space flight safety.
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