Vietnamese-American woman and first all-female crew to fly into space

Amanda Nguyen - Photo 1.

NS-31 mission crew member Amanda Nguyen (seated below, right) will become the first Vietnamese-American woman to fly into space - Photo: BLUE ORIGIN

Flight with all-female crew

According to information from the space tourism company Blue Origin, at 8:30 a.m. on April 14 local time (ie 8:30 p.m. on the same day Vietnam time), the New Shepard spacecraft will take off from launch site No. 1 in Texas (USA), bringing the crew of the NS-31 mission with all 6 members being women into space.

Crew members include: civil rights activist and astronaut Amanda Nguyen, founder of the nonprofit RISE, CBS Mornings host Gayle King, pop star Katy Perry, film producer Kerianne Flynn, entrepreneur and former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, and journalist and philanthropist Lauren Sanchez.

This is the 11th crewed flight of New Shepard, and the first with an all-female crew since Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova flew solo into space in 1963 aboard the Vostok 6 spacecraft, marking a major step forward in promoting diversity and inclusion in the space industry.

The NS-31 mission is not only a milestone for gender in commercial spaceflight, but also an inspiration for women and girls to enter STEM fields. The crew affirms that women can combine their passion for science with their individuality.

Amanda Nguyen - Photo 2.

NS-31 mission insignia - Photo: BLUE ORIGIN

First female astronaut of Vietnamese origin

“As the first female astronaut from Vietnam and Southeast Asia, Amanda’s flight is a symbol of reconciliation between the United States and Vietnam, and will highlight science as a tool for peace ,” Blue Origin wrote in its introduction to astronaut Amanda Nguyen.

Blue Origin previously unveiled the NS-31 mission’s insignia, which features symbols representing female astronauts. The scales of justice represent Amanda Nguyen’s efforts to fight for civil rights, break down barriers, and empower individuals to drive change.

Vietnamese-American woman and first all-female crew about to fly into space - Photo 3.

Amanda Nguyen wears ao dai and conical hat when visiting Ha Long Bay - Photo: Facebook character

Amanda Nguyen was born in 1991, born and raised in California, USA. She graduated from Harvard University and interned at NASA in 2013, working at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

More than 10 years ago, Amanda put her dream of becoming an astronaut on hold after being raped during her senior year at Harvard University. After discovering injustices in the legal system, Amanda began drafting and campaigning for a bill of rights for victims of sexual violence.

In November 2014, Amanda founded Rise, a non-governmental organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of victims of sexual assault.

In 2016, the bill advocated by Amanda Nguyen was passed by the US Congress and signed into law by then-President Barack Obama in October of the same year.

In recognition of her efforts to fight for victims of sexual assault, Amanda Nguyen was nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize and named one of Time magazine 's 2022 Women of the Year; received the 24th Annual Heinz Prize for Public Policy, the Nelson Mandela Changemaker Award, Time 100 Next, Forbes 30 Under 30, and was recognized by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the top 100 global thinkers.

In a previous interview with Tuoi Tre , when sharing about her decision to return to her dream of space travel, Amanda said: "Healing. My life has been a journey of healing, including honoring the person I used to be, before I was hurt. The girl 10 years ago at NASA dreamed of one day reaching the stars. With this opportunity, I can honor the person I used to be in the past."

"I want to bring the community with me so that Vietnamese girls can see themselves among the stars," said Amanda Nguyen.

The New Shephard spacecraft is a small, reusable rocket system that serves as a stepping stone for deeper space exploration aspirations, including the development of heavy-lift rockets and lunar landers.

New Shepard astronauts will blast into space at three times the speed of sound. The flight will last about 11 minutes, taking them across the Kármán line at an altitude of 100km – the widely recognized boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and space.

The flight will be live-streamed on Blue Origin's website and other platforms, starting about 90 minutes before the New Shepard spacecraft launches.