Virgin Galactic and Land Rover launch car for future astronauts

Astronaut Edition Range Rover (Image: Virgin Galactic)

Virgin Galactic has joined forces with Land Rover, to launch a new luxury car, exclusively for future astronauts.

The car, called the Astronaut Edition Range Rover, features a unique Zero Gravity Blue paint finish inspired by the night sky, as well as a bespoke puddle lamp illumination design, featuring the silhouette of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo.

Inside the car, key features include a crafted piece of the spaceship’s front landing skid that flew on Virgin Spaceship Unity’s first space flight in December 2018.

Even the cupholders are moulded from part of this skid, which provided the spaceship with a lightweight braking system.

Inside the car, key features include a crafted piece of the spaceship’s front landing skid that flew on Virgin Spaceship Unity’s first space flight in December 2018 (Image: Virgin Galactic)

One of the cupholders features a quote from Virgin Galactic’s founder, Sir Richard Branson, ‘see you up there.’

However, once a future astronaut has flown to space, these features will be replaced with the skid from their own spaceflight.

Other bespoke features include a ‘DNA of Flight’ graphic on the carbon fibre front console drawer lid, and stitching of the astronaut’s initial in the headrests.

One of the cupholders features a quote from Virgin Galactic’s founder, Sir Richard Branson, ‘see you up there’ (Image: Virgin Galactic)

 Gerry McGovern, Chief Design Officer, Land Rover, said: “Land Rover vehicles have been part of daily life for the Virgin Galactic team since the launch of the partnership in 2014.

“The Astronaut Edition Range Rover is the next step on this journey and the chance for the Future Astronaut Community to celebrate our two brands’ shared values of pioneering spirit and true sense of adventure. This vehicle really will take them Above and Beyond.”

It remains unclear how much the Astronaut Edition Range Rover costs.