The famous global delivery company "Uber" has begun transporting fresh meals from Earth to residents of outer space through its UberEats service, which is originally specialized in delivering food from restaurants to consumers worldwide. UberEats is now the first company to offer these services to astronauts after successfully sending the first meal to outer space a few days ago, according to a report published by the British newspaper "Daily Mail," which was reviewed by "Al Arabiya Net."
Uber's entry into the space realm is a result of a commercial collaboration with Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, as the project aims to deliver food to astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The "Daily Mail" reported that Uber officially entered the world of space after announcing that it sent an order for food to the International Space Station (ISS).
The American company collaborated with businessman Yusaku Maezawa, who recently traveled to the ISS to deliver canned Japanese dishes to astronauts aboard the ship. The delivery took place on December 11 at 9:40 AM Eastern Time after Maezawa traveled 248 miles for eight hours and 34 minutes since leaving Earth.
The delivered food items included boiled mackerel, a bowl of beef cooked in sweet sauce, chicken cooked with bamboo shoots, and slow-cooked meats. Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of Uber, stated that delivering a small package to Yusaku Maezawa is a giant delivery for Uber Eats. He added, "We have surpassed the moon to achieve our first successful delivery to space. Our goal is to help people go anywhere and get anything, so we are proud to serve astronauts at the International Space Station."
Maezawa, along with his assistant and film producer Yuzu Hirano, launched to the ISS on December 11 at 2:30 AM Eastern Time from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and they are scheduled to spend 12 days aboard the massive orbital laboratory, according to the report published by the "Daily Mail."
Maezawa spoke with the Associated Press from the ISS and rejected criticisms from those who questioned his decision to pay a fortune for a trip to the space station, stating, "The amazing experience was worth it." In his first television interview since arriving at the station, he said, "Once you go to space, you'll realize how worthwhile it is to have this amazing experience... and I believe this incredible experience will lead to something else."
At 46 years old, Maezawa and his 36-year-old producer Yuzu Hirano are the first self-paying tourists to the space station since 2009. When asked about reports claiming he paid over $80 million for the 12-day mission, Maezawa stated he could not disclose the contract amount but admitted he paid a hefty sum.
