When after saying “I do” Ekaterina Dmitriev wanted to pose for wedding photos, she had to settle for a life-size cardboard cutout of her new husband, Yuri Malenchenko. The reason was very simple: at the time of the ceremony the groom was not in Houston, with Dmitriev, but floating some 430 kilometers above his head and that of the rest of the wedding guests, aboard the International Space Station ( ISS). Their wedding – celebrated on August 10, 2003 – is considered the first cosmic, although in reality only one of them was in space and they needed a satellite link to communicate.
There are couples who already want to go further, with a full-blown space ceremony. And of course, companies willing to satisfy them.
A “yes I want” in style. And so over the top. The idea that is already around those responsible for Space Perspective, a US-based startup, is to offer weddings in space. It may sound extravagant, but as its co-founder, Jane Poynter, acknowledged on Saturday during an interview with The Cool Down, the company has detected that there is interest in these types of links. “We’ve already had people want to be the first married couple in space, so we’ll see who’s first,” Ella says.
But… And how would they do it? Poynter hasn’t gone that far in his statements, but the cosmic weddings thing may not be so strange if we take into account what Space Perspective does. Replicating his own words from him, what the American startup wants is to “take space travel to a new level.” And he plans to do it with the help of his peculiar concept of a special ship, the Spaceship Neptune, a capsule designed to rise with the help of a hydrogen balloon, the SpaceBalloon.
Its managers emphasize that the approach is different from the trips that Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic or Axiom Space can offer. “The Netpune ship rises into space with our balloon, powered by renewable hydrogen, without rockets or the associated carbon footprint – they explain from the firm -. Instead of taking off, we rise to 12 mph, making the experience accessible to anyone fit to fly with a commercial airline”.
Great views, great prices. Of course, the capsule does not resemble the interior of a conventional ship either. At least if we trust the renders published by the company, which show a cabin with furniture and careful decoration. The Neptune integrates nine reclining seats for eight passengers and a pilot, 360º panoramic windows, Wi-Fi connection and even a bar to serve refreshments. When describing its design, Space Perspective itself says that the furniture “can be reconfigured to adapt to a special event, such as a dinner for two or a wedding.”
A unique experience in exchange for a price not suitable for all budgets. If you want to buy a ticket to enjoy one of their six-hour trips, you will have to pay $125,000. At least that is the value that slipped in 2021, when the company opened reservations. On Saturday The Cool Down went a little further and pointed out that more than 1,200 tickets had already been sold. Regarding the schedule, it advances that the first flights are expected by the end of 2024.
