Fancy a meal at the edge of space? French startup offering opportunity for Rs 1 crore

Fancy eating a meal at the edge of space? A French start-up is offering you the chance to do so as early as 2025 – all for the princely sum of $132,000 (Rs 1 crore). Let’s take a closer look: According to CNN, the company Zephalto, founded by aerospace engineer Vincent Farret d’Astiès, will allow people to ascend above the earth in a pressurised capsule attached to a balloon. The capsule will rise to an altitude of 25 kilometres after which passengers will be served Michelin-star meals.

This is twice as high as commercial aircraft fly, as per Observer.com.

“I partnered with the French space agency, and we worked on the concept of the balloon together,” d’Astiès told Bloomberg. “We choose 25 kilometers high because it’s the altitude where you are in the darkness of space, with 98 per cent of the atmosphere below you, so you can enjoy the curvature of the Earth in the blue line. You’re in the darkness of space, but without the zero-gravity experience,” Farret d’Astiès added. The Celeste was designed by Airbus engineers who partnered with the French and European Space agencies. Each capsule, which will make the trip in an hour and a half at four metres per second, will have six passengers and two pilots. The capsule will hover above Earth for three hours – allowing passengers to savour the sight, course after course as well as French wine, as per CNN. The altitude will also allow passengers to take in the Earth through a 75-square-foot window, according to Observer.com.

Unlike astronauts, passengers will require no special training, as per Observer.

French Joseph Dirand, who has designed restaurants in Paris and is known for his minimalist style, will create the interiors of Celeste, according to Bloomberg. “Design is about shaping experiences, and this experience will shape people’s lives,” says Dirand. “I hope that our guests will return to Earth with new perspectives towards our precious planet, its beauty and how to protect it better.” The initial booking costs around $11,000 (Rs 9 lakh) and allows passengers to pick up tickets whenever they are put on sale. The round-trip costs around $131,100 (Rs 1 crore), as per CNN. According to Observer.com, the company plans to send 60 such capsules above the air in the first year. Also, it’s not all about the food. d’Astiès told CNN Travel the view and overall journey remains the central focus of the offering, allowing guests to appreciate and take in the beauty of their surroundings.” While passengers will rise above high above the earth, it’s not quite a trip to space. NASA says space begins around 80 kilometres above the Earth, while other agencies put it around 100 kilometres, as per Bloomberg. For d’Astiès, this has a whiff of the personal. He told Bloomberg his great-great-great-grandfather fled Paris on a balloon during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. According to IndiaTimes, Zephalto has undertaken three manned test flights, but none of them have yet reached the 25-kilometre altitude. d’Astiès says a flight planned later this year should reach that mark and points out that the French space agency has been sending up balloons for 60 years. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.