Over two decades of its service, the International Space Station (ISS) has achieved several milestones including numerous science experiments, as well as dockings with both piloted and unmanned spacecrafts. Adding to that, according to a recent report by Bloomberg, is the first ever product shoot in space for Estee Lauder.
The news agency wrote that the cosmetics brand is paying US$128,000 (~RM533,950) to NASA in order to have the shoot happen. Both parties will fly 10 bottles of Estee Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair skin serum to the ISS via the Northrop Grumman Antares rocket this Tuesday from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, USA. The NASA spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the station on the following Saturday.
The ISS astronauts are then tasked with shooting photos of the product once it arrives. The photoshoot is requested to be held in the station’s Cupola module, which features panoramic views of Earth and space. For those wondering, the current crew present on the ISS include NASA’s Chris Cassidy as well as cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner. The report added that the space agency is charging a ‘professional fee’ of US$17,500 (~RM73,000) per hour to Estee Lauder for the astronauts’ time.
The cosmetics brand says that it plans to use the photos for publicity on social media, where roughly 4 million people are following its Instagram account. Additionally, one of the bottles will also be auctioned for charity after the product makes its return to home to Earth this spring.
(Source: Bloomberg | Header image: NASA)
