Range Rover has unveiled one of its rarest special versions yet – the Astronaut Edition – which is offered to customers heading to space with Virgin Galactic.
Richard Branson’s firm is aiming to be the first commercial company to fly members of the public into space. The special edition car celebrates this one-off experience that customers of Virgin Galactic will experience.
The model – offered with either a P400e plug-in hybrid powertrain or with a 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine – has been developed by Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations division and comes appropriately painted in the unique ‘Zero Gravity Blue’ paint colour. It also features a bespoke puddle lamp that shows off the shape of the space aircraft, alongside Astronaut Edition designation.
As for the interior, that’s even more littered with space details. Highlights include a cup holder made out of the aircraft’s front landing skid, along with unique brake discs. Once someone has flown in space, and becomes an astronaut, the interior will be changed to feature details from the customer’s own spaceflight.Another particularly interestingly design detail is the ‘DNA of Flight’ graphic on the carbon fibre console and also embossed on the leather upholstery, which shows the evolution of flight. Further engravings also appear throughout the cabin.
Gerry McGovern, chief design officer at Land Rover, said: “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.”
Land Rover has been Virgin Galactic’s automotive partner since 2014.
