Katy Perry has returned to the everyday joys of motherhood after her space journey earlier this week, proving that no matter how many achievements are in her professional career, she is grounded by the simple joys of family life.
The star shared a glimpse of a heartwarming moment on her Instagram Stories, showing off a school lunch she had packed for her 4-year-old daughter, Daisy. "Back to the best reality, packing school lunch," she wrote, adding a heart and a yellow blossom emoji.
The meal, filled with treats like pretzels, carrot sticks, pineapple chunks, and a piece of bread cut into the shape of a star, offered a sweet nod to her recent space adventure. The photo came just two days after her space flight with Blue Origin's first all-female flight crew.
The mission, which took place on April 14, was a round-trip expedition lasting about 11 minutes, launched from West Texas, and included journalist Gayle King, philanthropist Lauren Sánchez, astronaut Amanda Nguyen, NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, and filmmaker Kerianne Flynn.
"This experience is second to being a mom," she told reporters after landing, getting emotional while talking about her daughter. "That's why it was hard for me to go because that's all my love right there, and I have to surrender and trust that the universe is going to take care of me and protect me and also my family and daughter.”
She continued, “I am full up from being able to get that gift of being a mom, and to go to space is incredible, and I wanted to model courage, worthiness, and fearlessness."
While Katy's spaceflight made headlines, it also attracted its fair share of criticism. The singer has yet to address the backlash. However, Lauren and Gayle shared their thoughts and responded to online criticism.
"When we hear comments like that, I just say, trust me. Come with me. I'll show you what this is about, and it's, it's really eye-opening.' 'I would love to have them come to Blue Origin and see the thousands of employees that don't just work here but they put their heart and soul into this vehicle," Lauren said to People.
Meanwhile, Gayle said to Extra: "My question is, ‘Have y’all been to space?’ Go to space or go to Blue Origin and see what they do and how they do, and then come back and say, ‘This is a terrible thing' Is it expensive? Yes. But one of the things they’re trying to do, if you get enough people who are interested — it doesn’t have to be that expensive.”