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The Range Rover Astronaut Edition Offers out of This World Exclusivity

06.06.19 | By
The Range Rover Astronaut Edition Offers out of This World Exclusivity

When people claim a certain level of exclusivity in their choice in automobiles, those bragging rights are typically tied to earthly expectations of availability. But in the case of Virgin Galactic Future Astronauts – who will soon be able to check off “outer space” as a travel destination they’ve been to – they’ll also have the option to commemorate their genuinely elite status as travelers with an astronauts-only, Range Rover Astronaut Edition.

The Astronaut Edition ‘Zero Gravity’ exterior paint is unique to this model, intended to evoke the “inky, infinite depths of a star-filled night sky”.

Conceived as the ultimate travel souvenir, the yet-to-be-priced Range Rover Astronaut Edition produced by Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations will only be made available to members of the Virgin Galactic Future Astronaut community to purchase, emblazoned with detailing inside and out that cue others this isn’t your typical Land Rover vehicle.

When the doors open, puddle lamps switch on to illuminate the ground and show silhouettes of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo.

The one-off interior design includes a custom cup holder crafted from the spaceship’s front landing skid, ‘DNA of Flight’ graphic on the carbon fiber front console drawer lid and the same motif debossed on the leather rear armrest, with aluminum door handles featuring the Future Astronaut community constellation design.

The Land Rover Astronaut Edition DNA can be attributed to the $143,000 Range Rover Autobiography, the sort of luxurious all-terrain capable SUV already catering to a rarified air even before being given the Astronaut Edition treatment. The special edition will be made available with Land Rover’s P400e plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) powertrain, which delivers a combined 404PS, EV range of 42km and CO2 emissions of 72g/km. A high-performance 5.0-liter V8 P525 supercharged gas engine edition is also offered if you’re partial to yesterday’s technology.

“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.” – Gerry McGovern – Chief Design Officer at Land Rover – with Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic.

Gregory Han is a Senior Editor at Design Milk. A Los Angeles native with a profound love and curiosity for design, hiking, tide pools, and road trips, a selection of his adventures and musings can be found at gregoryhan.com.