A luxury spacecraft designed by French interior designer Joseph Dirand is now taking bookings for its first trip to space in 2024.
The Céleste Luxury Space Capsule is the latest creation by space travel company Zephalto and brings guests a one-of-a-kind, exclusive space travel experience enhanced by Dirand’s innovative designs that are based on luxury, comfort and safety.
“Architecture has a function and this, paired with my profound passion for hospitality, has provoked an inspiration for this innovative and groundbreaking project,” Dirand told Wallpaper*. “It’s an unusual journey through space and therefore for an architect like myself who ultimately spends their time envisioning experiences, it’s one of the most unique ones to conceive. We are offering a memory for life, one that will be shared in an intimate and luxurious surrounding.”
The opulent capsule will take its inaugural trip to space in late 2024 with two pilots and six guests. In partnership with CNES, the French national space agency, Céleste will take off from France and reach an altitude of 25 kilometers (~15.5 miles) above Earth, where passengers will be able to witness Earth’s curve, an extraordinary point of view astronauts call the “overview effect.”
During the six-hour flight through space, guests will travel in the luxury and comfort of a thoughtfully-crafted interior experience, which Dirand designed to reflect the Earth’s curvature with round windows and mirrors. Unlike a typical aircraft, Céleste resembles a residential space with a minimalist ambiance and features a neutral color palette in order to not take away from the spectacular views outside.
Each of the three spacious cabins on the space capsule fit two passengers and offer the largest windows currently available in public space travel for optimal, 360-degree viewing of Earth’s atmosphere. The space travel experience also includes access to WiFi and gourmet, Michelin meals from famous French chefs.
Céleste’s sleek exterior features a balloon-like shape and is made of composite fibers with a reflective, silver finish that makes the space capsule almost invisible against its surroundings.
Round trips aboard Céleste are now available for pre-booking at zephalto.com with a €10,000 deposit, which is about $11,000, at current exchange rate. The total price per person is €120,000, or ~$132,000.
Photos courtesy Zephalto
