This Company Is Hosting The First Michelin-Starred Meal In Space

For the sky-high price of $495,000 per-passenger, this once-in-a-lifetime experience will be out of this world.

How far are you willing to travel for a really great meal?

How about 100,000 feet above sea level on a six-hour stratospheric adventure that will take you to the edge of space and back?

In an announcement made by luxury space travel operator SpaceVIP on Friday, the mission-based expedition company said they’re teaming up with acclaimed chef Rasmus Munk and are offering six intrepid travelers the mission and memories of a lifetime when they host the first Michelin-starred meal on the edge of space in 2025.

“This announcement has already cast its spotlight on space tourism and we are thrilled about the dialogue it has started around the importance of space travel,” SpaceVIP founder Roman Chiporukha wrote via email to Forbes.

One small step for man, one giant leap for a Michelin-starred meal, the experience will take place aboard Spaceship Neptune for the astronomical price of $495,000 per-person. The world's first carbon-neutral spacecraft, the launch date has been set for late 2025 and will depart from the Kennedy Space in Florida.

According to the press release, the flight will last around six-hours in total and will take place in a pressurized capsule that is lifted into the sky by a stratospheric space-balloon. While onboard, participants will have access to Wi-Fi and will be able to livestream the entire experience with friends and family on earth.

After purchasing three capsules from a Florida-based company Space Perspective in 2021, Chiporukha says SpaceVIP has been developing partnerships with artists that are designed to elevate human consciousness through the power of space travel.

“It is by launching these flights that we will be able to make them accessible to more people,” Chiporukha said. “In the 1920’s, a ticket for a transatlantic flight was prohibitively expensive and accessible only to the elite, however, with advancements in technology, and the growth of the airline industry, air travel became more affordable over time. This is just the beginning of private space travel, so we absolutely see it going in the same direction,” he added.

Known for his highly immersive, holistic fine-dining restaurant, Alchemist, chef Rasmus Munk has two-Michelin stars under his belt and his Copenhagen-based restaurant is ranked among the top five best restaurants in the world.

According to Chiporukha, SpaceVIP tapped Munk for this experience because he believes his approach to the dining experience is created through the lens of social impact. “We started our conversation with Chef Rasmus last Fall and it quickly became clear that we were aligned in our purpose-driven approach to this experience,”Chiporukha said.

The specifics around the menu, and how the meal will be served is the “next phase” of the expedition planning process, however dishes will be “inspired by the role of space exploration over the last 60-years of human history and the impact it has had on society,” Chiporukha said.

In the meantime, Chiporukha says SpaceVIP has already had dozens of qualified participants express interest in the Michelin-starred meal experience and he expects they will secure the seats of all six passengers “sooner than expected.”

“The majesty of watching the sun rise over our planet brings into focus the profound understanding that we collectively have one home, a feeling that no other human experience can evoke at such an emotional depth,” Chiporukha said.

Included in the price of admission, passengers will be outfitted by French fashion house Ogier whose custom outfits will use “cutting-edge fabric technology” specific to this mission.

“When we figure out how to grow plants in space with minimal water, these solutions can be utilized on Earth in places like South Africa or California that are having unprecedented droughts,” Chiporukha said. “Our goal is to increase awareness and bring people together so that, in solidarity, we can come up with solutions that benefit us all.”

As plans for this culinary ‘odyssey to the cosmos’ continues to evolve, Chiporukha says SpaceVIP will continue to promote the transformative power of space travel.

In addition to this being the first Michelin-starred mean served in space, all of the proceeds for this will be directed to the Space Prize Foundation. “Whether it's a zero gravity flight or an orbital mission, we are the destination for all space tourism experiences,” Chiporukha said “We're excited to be at the forefront of this new world and to continue to promote universal space literacy through the Space Prize Foundation.”