Land Rover has revealed a special Astronaut Edition of its flagship Range Rover model to celebrate the brand's partnership with space tourism firm Virgin Galactic. Available solely to the so-called "future astronauts" - those who have signed up to fly with Virgin Galactic once it's spacecraft is ready - the Range Rover Astronaut Edition features a range of external and internal tweaks to make it stand out from the crowd. The most obvious touch is the unique Zero Gravity Blue paintwork, which has been designed to reflect the deep blue of the night’s sky, while more subtle features include the special Virgin Galactic puddle lamps housed beneath the door mirrors. The whole thing is finished off with a range of Astronaut Edition badges on the tailgate and side profile finishers. Inside, the Astronaut Edition comes with a crafted part of the landing skid from the Virgin Spaceship Unity’s first space flight in December 2018. Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division has turned a part of the skid into the discs in the cupholders. One bears details of the space flight, while the other says “See you up there” - a phrase Sir Richard Branson regularly uses when addressing his future astronauts. Once the flight has been completed, these discs will be swapped with parts of the wooden landing skid from the customer’s flight. Other bespoke features include a ‘DNA of Flight’ graphic on the carbon-fibre front console drawer lid and the leather rear armrest. Furthermore, the aluminium door handles are engraved with Virgin Galactic’s own future astronaut community pattern - a design that also features on the rear of the front headrests and metal letterbox panel design above the glovebox. Additional personalisation options include stitching the future astronaut’s initials onto the headrests. Under the bonnet, customers will be able to choose between Land Rover’s well-documented 5-litre supercharged V8 petrol engine, which now bears the P525 moniker, or the new P400e plug-in hybrid. Teaming petrol power with an electric motor, that version provides 399 bhp and an electric range of 26 miles. Gerry McGovern, Land Rover’s chief design officer, 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.” Stephen Attenborough, Virgin Galactic’s chief commercial officer, added: “Land Rover joined Virgin Galactic on its journey to space in 2014 and from the start, the collaboration has been underpinned by iconic design, engineering excellence and desire to push the boundaries of travel for the next generation. The Astronaut Edition has been crafted with that in mind, a meaningful and lasting embodiment of a shared vision. We could not be more excited to be able to offer this unique vehicle to our wonderful, global community of pioneering future astronaut customers.”<doc-sep>The Range Rover Astronaut Edition is only available to people who are signed up to go to space on a Virgin Galactic commercial flight. Each one consists of special design touches and can incorporate a piece of the ship that took the owner to space. About 700 people have put down $250,000 for a ticket to go to space, with all flights currently sold out for the time being. Are you signed up to fly to space on Virgin Galactic when the first commercial flights begin later this year? Are you in need of a new car for when you're not in space? Do you like British SUVs? Are you very rich? (Okay, if you're signed up for Virgin Galactic you definitely are very rich, we didn't need to ask that.) Well, have we got the car for you. It's called the Range Rover Astronaut Edition, and it's only available to the "Future Astronauts" who have signed up and paid to go to space. View Photos Land Rover The Zero Gravity Blue paint was created just for the Astronaut Edition, and the brand says it was "inspired by the depth and intensity of the night sky." There's special badging on the sides of the car and the tailgate and additional hidden badges in the doorjambs that are only visible when the doors are open. The puddle lamps project an image of SpaceShipTwo, the craft that will be taking customers to space. Two discs within the cupholders are made from the front landing skid of the spaceship that completed the first successful space flight in December 2018. But if you're hoping for something a little more special than that, don't worry. Customers will be able to have the piece replaced with one made from the skid of the ship from their own commercial flight—complete with a personal inscription featuring details of the "life-changing experience." In addition to that skid creation and the white leather interior with blue stitching, the Astronaut Edition gets a number of other unique touches. The center console also has a "DNA of Flight" graphic on the carbon-fiber trim that depicts iconic modes of flight, from Icarus's wings to the Wright Brothers' plane and the Apollo Lunar Module. The same graphic is embossed on the rear armrest, while the headrests have SpaceShipTwo's outline stitched into them. Engraved into the aluminum door handles is a "Future Astronaut community constellation pattern" that Range Rover says is a representation of "a global community connected by a love of space." There's no photo of the handles, so we can only imagine how ridiculous they look. Range Rover says there are other personalization options, such as the customer's initials being stitched onto the headrests. View Photos Land Rover The starting-off point for the Astronaut Edition is a short-wheelbase Range Rover in the luxurious Autobiography trim level. Two powertrains are available: the P525 model, which uses a 518-hp supercharged 4.0-liter V-8, and the P400e model, which is a plug-in-hybrid that uses a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four and an electric motor for a total of 398 horsepower. Range Rover gives no pricetag for the Astronaut Edition, but it's surely astronomical. Land Rover has been collaborating with Virgin Galactic since 2014, when it offered a space-flight ticket in a contest; the brand then helped unveil SpaceShipTwo in 2016 by towing it with a Range Rover (which you can see in the photo gallery). Range Rovers will also be the vehicles of choice for the transport of people to training, to and from overnight accommodations, and to the spaceport on launch day. View Photos Land Rover At this point, all of Virgin Galactic's existing tickets are sold out at $250,000 apiece, and about 700 people have put down their deposits. SpaceShipTwo seats two pilots and six passengers, and each journey will last around two and a half hours. The ship will only be in space for a few minutes, at which point passengers will be able to get out of their seats and experience weightlessness. Now that the first successful test flight has occurred and Virgin has been continually testing the crafts and conducting more space flights, the first commercial flights should begin later this year. This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>Previous Next 1 of 8 For astronauts only: Range Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) group announced the Range Rover Astronaut Edition, Autocar reports. The only customers who can buy the Astronaut Edition are people who reserved a space flight with Virgin Galactic. Called “Future Astronauts,” the 600 who signed up so far will pay $250,000 for the 90-minute experience. Land Rover and Virgin Galactic announced a global partnership in 2014. In addition to the marketing opportunities related to the alliance, the two companies hoped the partnership would “inspire young people across the globe to pursue careers in engineering, science, and technology,” according to a joint statement released at the time. Virgin CEO Richard Branson hopes the partnership will inspire a generation. To create the Astronaut Edition, the SVO group incorporated exclusive design elements on the SUV’s interior and exterior. The special edition is built on the SVO’s Range Rover SVAutobiography Edition, one of two SVO platforms. The SVAutobiography promises “peerless luxury.” The second SVO platform, the SVR, promises a “thrilling sports performance” from added elements to improve power, handling, and speed. Land Rover reportedly delivers Range Rover Astronaut Editions with either the company’s 398-horsepower p400e plug-in hybrid engine or its 518-horsepower 5.5-liter P525 supercharged V8 gasoline motor. The Astronaut Edition’s exterior is Zero Gravity Blue. Unique badging will grace the SUV’s sides and rear and an exclusive puddle lamp will project a Virgin Galactic logo. Virgin’s DNA of flight graphic will appear in several places inside the vehicle, including the console lid, rear armrest, and door handles. The most exclusive of the special edition’s design elements will be discs in the front seat cup holders. Before Future Astronauts take their flights, those who purchase Range Rover Astronaut Editions will have discs made from the wooden landing skid from 2018’s flight of the Virgin Spaceship Unity. After they complete their $2,777-per-minute trips, the passengers status converts to “Astronaut,” and they will receive replacement discs for their cup holders made from the landing skid on which their flight landed. Land Rover did not release prices for the Range Rover Astronaut Edition. Eligible customers may find relief that the vehicles will likely cost less than their ride into space because the 2019 Range Rover Autobiography prices start just under $135,000. Editors' Recommendations<doc-sep>Land Rover has been Virgin Galactic's automotive partner, providing Richard Branson's space fetish with vehicles for use in and around its bases of operations. Now, the automaker has whipped up a special edition just for the souls who intend to take SpaceShipTwo to the edge of space. This week, Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations unveiled the Range Rover Astronaut Edition. Only available to those who sign up to be a Virgin Galactic Future Astronaut, the vehicle features space-themed doodaddery inside and out. It's available with a buyer's choice of a plug-in hybrid or V8 powertrain. The Astronaut Edition's exterior is swathed in the one-off Zero Gravity Blue paint job, which Land Rover says is "inspired by the depth and intensity of the night sky." The only other major additions to the exterior are a set of puddle lamps, which bear the silhouette of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo craft, and some Astronaut Edition badges on the side and tailgate. Enlarge Image Land Rover The interior gets most of the attention. The cupholders carry a piece of the Virgin Spaceship Unity's front landing skid, one of which has a Richard Branson quote on it, but it'll be swapped out for a piece of that astronaut's own ship after the flight ends. There's a unique "DNA of Flight" graphic on the center console and rear armrest. The door handles are made from solid aluminum and carry a constellation pattern, and it's repeated on the back of each front headrest. Astronauts can also have their initials stitched on the headrests. Before you go wondering how astronauts can afford Range Rovers, it's worth noting that these aren't "astronauts" as you might think of them, scientists and engineers who spend their whole lives preparing for the rigors of space travel. Instead, these are space tourists plunking down $250,000 for 90 seconds of zero-gravity experience. There is some pre-flight training, of course, but it's not exactly NASA. Nevertheless, odds are that Virgin's Future Astronauts won't have too much trouble plunking down whatever cash is required to own this Range Rover -- the automaker didn't specify how much it would cost, but for context, a standard Range Rover Autobiography starts at $143,000 in the US.<doc-sep>
Land Rover is taking the concept of special editions to new heights by unveiling a limited-run Range Rover targeting a very specific segment of the market. It’s called the “Astronaut Edition” and can only be bought by those who have signed on the dotted line to become members of the Virgin Galactic Future Astronaut community. That means roughly 700 people can hop behind the wheel of the luxury SUV, having spent a $250,000 to claim a seat inside the spaceship. Speaking of which, the Range Rover Astronaut Edition has a “crafted piece” taken straight from the front landing skid of the spaceship used during the Virgin Spaceship Unity’s first space flight at the end of last year. The piece in question has been repurposed to create two discs in the area on the center console where the cup holders are located. Gallery: Land Rover Range Rover Astronaut Edition 6 Photos Not impressed yet? Land Rover explains that after returning to Earth from the space flight, an owner will be able to take out that part and replace it with a section of the wooden skid used during the customer’s own spaceflight. In addition, the piece will be personalized with whatever the owner wants to write related to the whole experience of going into space. There are other special touches inside pointing towards the space journey, such as a “DNA of Flight” graphic on the front console drawer made out of carbon fiber. Land Rover has applied this motif on the leather-wrapped rear armrest as well, while the door handles manufactured from solid aluminum metal have been engraved with Virgin Galactic’s Future Astronaut community constellation pattern. The same design is also noticeable above the glove box and on the front headrests. Stepping outside of the vehicle, the Zero Gravity Blue paint was specifically developed for the Range Rover Astronaut Edition and was inspired by a night sky’s depth and intensity. Another neat feature is the model-exclusive design of the puddle lamp illumination as it’s showing the silhouette of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo. Rounding off the tweaks is the “Astronaut Edition” badge place at the back and on the sides of the SUV. Those eligible to buy the Range Rover Astronaut Edition will get to pick from either the P400e plug-in hybrid model or the supercharged P525. The former has an electrified 2.0-liter gasoline engine with a combined output of 398 horsepower whereas the latter uses a 5.0-liter V8 with 518 hp on tap. Pricing hasn’t been disclosed, but if you can afford to pay a quarter of a million dollars to go into space, you can probably afford to get this Astronaut Edition. Source: Land Rover '