We all know that tying the knot is one of the most special and memorable moments in a person’s life. And, if you want your wedding to be even more spectacular than others, there are a lot of options available to you. From destination weddings to awe-inspiring themes, you can have your dream wedding. However, what if we told you that there is also an option to get married in space?
We would be very excited to hear that, right? Well, a company called Space Perspective is making that a reality. They are offering couples the chance to tie the knot in space for $125,000 per person.
The first ever space wedding took place in 2003, when Ekaterina Dmitrieva, a Russian cosmonaut and the wife of Yuri Malenchenko, the second-longest-serving cosmonaut in history, married him via a satellite video link from the International Space Station (ISS). It was a pretty low-key affair — he wore his standard uniform and she wore a ribbon with her name and the date of their marriage on it — but still an incredible feat. He had been on five missions by this point, and he had just celebrated his 60th birthday in orbit.
They had originally planned to marry in August, but his flight was extended and they decided not to postpone it. He didn’t want to miss out on having a traditional ceremony, and under Russian law, they could not be legally married without him being present. It was a very intimate ceremony, but it had to be conducted in private since the mission control center didn’t want to waste resources on something that could compromise his safety.
The wedding wasn’t broadcast publicly on NASA TV because it was considered a “private family conference.” Afterward, the groom had a ring delivered to him from the ISS in a regular Progress cargo spacecraft and he added a bow tie to his uniform to mark the occasion. He and his bride-to-be returned to Earth two months later and he was met at the airport by a crowd that chanted “Yuri, we love you!”
Space Perspective is taking reservations for late 2024 starting at $125,000 per seat. Its Spaceship Neptune capsule will hold eight passengers and a pilot in comfortable, reclining seats. It will be propelled into space by renewable hydrogen, which eliminates the need for rockets and their associated carbon footprint. The capsule will feature enormous windows to give travellers the best view of our beautiful planet.
The founders of the company are former crew members from Biosphere 2, the closed ecological system that explored Earth systems science in Arizona and remains a reference for sustainable living. Their aim is to bring this concept to the public and make space exploration accessible to everyone. It will be a truly unique and unforgettable experience!