A CHICKEN nugget was launched into space to mark a Deeside-based supermarket chain's 50th birthday.
Iceland Foods celebrated its 50th birthday by firing one of its most iconic products into space from a location near its headquarters in Deeside.
Unsurprisingly, the nugget - which Iceland sells 10 million of a week in the UK - was the first of its kind to have ever travelled into space.
Using a custom designed launch vehicle, Sent into Space - a team of experts in the field of stratospheric exploration - sent the nugget 110,000 feet above the earth.
It was sent into space using a meteorological weather balloon filled with a gas that’s lighter than air to be able to carry the clucking cargo up to the stratosphere.
The launch vehicle included primary avionics, auxiliary satellite tracking and integrated camera support system taking video footage, the lone nugget was launched out of the earth’s atmosphere.
The chicken nugget took around 1 hour 45 minutes to reach 110,000 feet above the earth.
The lucky nugget left behind grey skies, COVID 19, Brexit and Piers Morgan to shoot through the troposphere to the stratosphere to enjoy momentary peace, clearer skies, spacecraft and possible sightings of the world’s highest flying birds such as the Rüppell's Vulture and the Common Crane.
What’s more, it would have felt right at home in the stratosphere in freezing temperatures of around - 60°C.
Having reached its peak height, Iceland’s chicken nugget then rocketed back down to earth at 200 miles per hour, until its parachute launched 19km above ground level for a safe landing.
Andrew Staniland, trading director at Iceland, said: “2020 is a huge year for us as we celebrate our 50th birthday, and we wanted to find ways to mark the occasion, just like anyone celebrating a birthday in lockdown.
"What better way to show that our products are out of this world than by sending one of our customer favourites into space!
“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.”
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