Lost in space? Iceland Foods, a UK-based frozen food specialist, celebrated the company’s 50th anniversary by sending a chicken nugget to space.
The company launched the nugget near the company’s headquarters in Wales, thanks to help from Sent Into Space, the "world's leading space marketing company, specializing in space-themed marketing campaigns and publicity stunts."
The nugget’s two-hour space journey was aided by a gas-filled weather balloon equipped with an auxiliary satellite tracking system and integrated camera support. It then descended back to Earth at 200 mph, but landed safely thanks to a built-in parachute.
"From a site in rural Wales, the nugget traveled through the Earth's atmosphere to an altitude of 110,000 feet (that's 33.5 km) where it floated in the region known as Near Space," Sent Into Space wrote in a statement on its website.
“Being a frozen nugget, it was unbothered by the low pressure and the extremely cold temperatures, which drop as low as -65°C!”
The altitude reached is equivalent to the height of 880,000 Iceland chicken nuggets.
Viewers can watch a video of the nugget’s ascent into space on the chain’s Facebook page. According to the company, this is the first time a chicken nugget has ever been launched into outer space.
"What better way to show that our products are out of this world than by sending one of our customer favorites into space?" Andrew Staniland, Iceland's trading director, told The Irish News.
"We've all changed the way we shop in recent months and frozen food has never been so popular. We're looking forward to continuing to celebrate our 50th year with customers and thanking them for their support."
Iceland Foods has over 900 stores throughout the UK, with 40 additional company- or franchise-owned locations across Europe. The first location opened in 1970 in Oswestry, Shropshire.
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