Private space companies SpaceVIP and Space Perspective have collaborated to offer a fine dining experience on the edge of space. However, this fascinating experience actually comes with a price. The companies announced that people willing to participate in this new experience will pay nearly $500,000 to fly to the edge of space on a space balloon.
Once they arrive in space, they will eat a menu prepared by Danish Chef Rasmus Munk, whose Alchemist restaurant currently has two Michelin stars.
How do the two companies plan to send people to the edge of space
The customers will be flying to the edge of space aboard Space Perspective’s Spaceship Neptune which will be entering its testing phase next month. The launch of this highly anticipated luxury dining mission will be coming up in 2025. The two companies plan to fly about six passengers aboard the Space Perspective’s Spaceship Neptune which will ascend to an altitude of about 19 miles (30 km).
To ensure that the customers get the best experience, the two companies hired the 32-year-old Rasmus Munk to serve them with a special menu on the edge of space. The passengers will enjoy their meals while observing the sunrise over the Earth’s curvature. The customers will also have WiFi onboard them enabling them to stream their individual experiences with viewers on Earth.
Munk revealed that he will create his special menu to reflect the innovative nature of the flight to the edge of space. He noted that he will use aerogel-inspired foof encapsulated aroma, and flashy culinary processes to give the passengers a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Munk’s Alchemist restaurant located in Copenhagen was currently ranked in the World’s Best 50 Restaurants guide for 2023. Hence, the two space firms made a great choice by collaborating with Munk on this new experience at the edge of space.
Space Perspective has earlier announced that it will be flying its first commercial customers to the edge of space in 2025. The firm plans to start test flights of its Spaceship Neptune in April 2024. If everything goes as planned, the Spaceship Neptune will be launching as the world’s largest capsule ever developed for crewed space exploration.
Will Spaceship Neptune Reach Space?
Space Perspective is not building its Spaceship Neptune to reach space. However, the powerful space vehicle will fly up to 19 miles in altitude. This implies that Spaceship Neptune will reach about halfway to the 62-mile (100-km) Kármán Line, which is the internationally recognized boundary to space.
According to the US Air Force, anything that flies above 80 miles is already in space. However, Spaceship Neptune is not the only capsule that will fly below the Kármán Line. Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin’s past crewed mission also flies below the Kármán Line.
The unique experience enabled passengers to see Earth from a distance, making them experience the Overview Effect. Hence, Space Perspective and SpaceVIP are hoping to join the list of companies that will take humans to the edge of space to have this unique experience.
In conclusion, SpaceVIP and Space Perspective are hoping to send humans to the edge of space for nearly $500,000 per customer to have luxury dining and watch the sun rise over Earth’s curvature. We hope to see them succeed in this mission which will be coming up in 2025.
