In September 2005, a U.S. citizen of Russian descent, Ekaterina Dmitrieva, married Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko through a video link to the International Space Station. The couple exchanged vows by satellite while Ekaterina was on Earth and Yuri was on the International Space Station. While only one of the couple was in space, the impact of this first-ever “space wedding” was still felt years later.
Although space weddings are still not available in the United States, the rocket industry has seen an increase in interest in this unique concept. Last year, American billionaire Dennis Tito agreed to pay the Russian space agency $20 million to perform a wedding ceremony. Since then, the industry has flourished. A space-wedding ceremony will be the ultimate dream come true for couples. Those who are curious about the experience can sign up for a virtual reality tour of the ceremony.
While space weddings aren’t yet available in the U.S., space tourism has become a growing industry. Earlier this year, Yuri Malenchenko, an astronaut, paid twenty million dollars to the Russian space agency to have his wedding ceremony broadcast live from outer space. The ceremony was classified as a private family conference and was broadcast from Houston. The couple blew kisses before being married in the Earth-based world.
Despite being in the far future, it is still a novelty to have a wedding in space. It was the first ever to take place in zero gravity. The ceremony was broadcast as a private family conference and only the couple and their guests were invited. The broadcast was classified as “private family conferences.” However, the ceremony took place with the participation of three people. There were no witnesses on board, so there is no way to confirm that the bride was not the bride.
Though a space wedding is still unheard of in the U.S., the idea is not entirely foreign to Russia. A cosmonaut can marry a foreign national without getting permission from the Russian space agency. Yuri Malenchenko, an astronaut in the International Space Station, and his wife, Ekaterina Dmitriev, a U.S. citizen, got married July 17 in a ceremony held at NASA headquarters in Houston.
According to reports, a Japanese company, First Advantage, has teamed up with a US-based space plane company to offer space wedding services. The suborbital rocket can reach 100 kilometers (62 miles) in height. It is able to carry a wedding party, wedding certificate, and original wedding dress. And what about a space wedding ceremony? In a few years, space weddings could become a reality! In the meantime, the space wedding has become a hot topic in the world of rocketry, and more astronauts are willing to take it!
The idea of having a space wedding in space is becoming more popular in Japan. This Japanese company, First Advantage, has partnered with a Japanese firm to launch a rocket at an altitude of 60 miles. It will cost around 240 million yen for the trip and the spaceplane will be a perfect backdrop for a wedding ceremony. The only downside is that it may cost a lot of money to send a couple into space, so the couple may have to opt for a more affordable option.