Cars

Nerd Alert: Range Rover Has a Model Exclusively for Astronauts

First you drop $250,000 to join the ranks of Virgin Galactic's astronauts, and then you can drop another six figures for this Range.

Andrew Krok

Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.

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Andrew Krok

May 10, 2019 7:35 a.m. PT

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This week, Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations unveiled the Range Rover Astronaut Edition.

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Only available to those who sign up as a Virgin Galactic Future Astronaut, the vehicle features space-themed doodaddery inside and out.

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It's available with a buyer's choice of a plug-in hybrid or V8 powertrain.

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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.

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The door handles are made from solid aluminum and carry a constellation pattern that's repeated on the front headrests.

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Aside from its paint, 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.

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It's worth noting that the buyers aren't "astronauts" as you normally think of them.

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Instead, they only eligible buyers are space tourists who first plunk down $250,000 for 90 seconds of a zero-gravity experience. This allows them to pay another six figures for the special Rover.

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Richard Branson, the founder and chairman of Virgin Galactic, slides into the exclusive edition as Gerry McGovern, chief design officer of Land Rover, looks on.