By 
June 13th, 2017
Stratollite-with-not-to-scale-balloon.
Credit: World View
World View has announced a first-ever, multi-day shake-down Stratollite demonstration mission.
Stratollite is a navigable stratospheric payload-carrying focused on unlocking a new economy in the stratosphere and a variety of important applications for things like remote sensing, disaster recovery, communications, and weather forecasting.
The shake-out flight has a finger-licking flair.
Zinger of a sandwich
This first demo flight has a commercial payload: Sending KFC’s new spicy Zinger chicken sandwich to the edge of space as a marketing stunt and experiment.
“KFC approached us a few months ago looking for a unique way to launch their new chicken sandwich in U.S. markets,” explains Jane Poynter, CEO of the Tucson, Arizona-based World View.
Credit: World View
Win, win
“We thought it was a bit ridiculous and funny at first ourselves, but quickly realized that this is what commercial space is all about – giving access to companies and organizations that typically would never dream of access to space,” Poynter adds. “Their offer would also help us simultaneously finance a significant portion of the development of our vehicle and introduce the Stratollite to a mass public audience. It’s a win, win for all parties. That’s why we truly are excited to support their incredibly fun mission as our flight and live broadcast partner.”
World View Headquarters in Tucson, Arizona.
Credit: World View
Launch window
The launch window for this mission opens officially on June 21st (weather will ultimately dictate the true launch day).
To keep an eye open for updates on the live broadcast, go to:
Also, go to video at:
Check out this video KFC produced about the sponsorship of this mission:
Posted in Space News
