4 days ago
Houston, we have Thai chicken! Street food delicacy makes space debut
Thai food has long been a global favourite – so much so that the Thai government launched the 'Thai Kitchen to the World' campaign to promote its cuisine internationally. But now, the world isn't enough. Thai chicken is heading to space, earning a spot on the menu for astronauts.
It's not every day that food gets to take a trip to space. Every dish sent onboard has to pass strict tests to make sure it's safe, nutritious and ready to handle zero-gravity dining. Thanks to a collaboration between the Thai government and private partners, including the Department of Livestock Development, the Thai Broiler Processing Exporters Association and Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF), Thai flavours were made to meet tough space-grade standards. All under the expert supervision of NASA and Axiom Space, who are making sure this mission is out of this world.
The Thai chicken dishes chosen by NASA include green curry chicken and baked rice with herbs and chicken. Both menu items went through multi-stage lab testing, checking everything from shelf life and sterility to nutritional value and how well they hold up during zero-gravity taste tests.
The astronauts lucky enough to taste this cuisine are part of the Axiom Mission 4 to the International Space Station. The launch is set for June 9 at 7.45pm (Bangkok time) from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA.
This marks the first time in history that Thai food has been sent into orbit. If you want to witness this milestone event, catch the rocket launch and Axiom Mission 4 live broadcast on the official NASA and Axiom Space channels. Celebrations will also take place across the nation.
