Marry in outer space
Couples wanting an out-of-this-world wedding can now sign up to say their "I dos" from space.
An elite wedding package that includes a 45-minute chartered space flight for the bride, bridegroom and three friends can be purchased for $2.2 million. Rocketplane Global and Japanese wedding planner First Advantage teamed up to offer couples the experience.
The bride and groom would have about four minutes of zero gravity to say their vows before the descent to Earth began. It is "combining two once-in-a-lifetime events," said Chuck Lauer, Rocketplane's vice president of business development.
The concept was first marketed to Japanese couples who typically plan weddings further in advance and spend more money on the big day than do American couples, Lauer said. But it generated so much interest that the company is now offering the experience worldwide.
So far, no one has signed up for the wedding package. But Rocketplane, an Oklahoma City company, hopes the attention will be just what it needs to get the space tourism program off the ground.
In October, Rocketplane officials said they would focus more on space tourism after losing a $207 million contract with NASA. The contract was canceled after Rocketplane Kistler failed to secure additional funding for its K-1 orbital vehicle.
Shortly after, Rocketplane Global unveiled the design of its XP suborbital vehicle to be used for commercial space flight. It will hold six people, including the pilot.
The spacecraft is not complete and is awaiting funding, said program manager David Faulkner. But the company is prepared to test the engine almost immediately if it receives a boost from an investor, he said.
"We're looking for an investor or group of investors that can take us to the end," Faulkner said.
Faulkner declined to say when a space wedding would be feasible, but Lauer said it probably would be about 2011.
Company officials have repeatedly pushed back the timeline over the years. Still, they remain optimistic.
Lauer said it is "very likely" someone will purchase a wedding package.
"I don't know if we'll get one a year or 10 a year, but there's certainly enough rich people out there," he said.
Interested couples first have to be cleared by a physician and pay a refundable deposit. A week of training at the Oklahoma Spaceport in Burns Flat is required before they can board the spacecraft, Lauer said.
The wedding package includes first-class airfare, hotel accommodations, marriage license, a custom-designed wedding dress, photo and video coverage of the wedding flight and a live broadcast of the ceremony to the ground.
"It's a VIP service package. People that are spending this much money expect it," Lauer said.
