LOUISVILLE, Ky., June 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- KFC and World
View announced today that they have partnered to launch the
Zinger chicken sandwich to the edge of space and then bring it
back, along with telemetry data. Pushing the boundaries of space
exploration and fried chicken technology, the mission will be the
longest controlled stratospheric balloon flight with a commercial
payload in history and the first-ever multi-day mission of the
World View Stratollite™ flight system.
Unlike typical high-altitude balloons, Stratollites can execute
a variety of flight profiles – from circumnavigating the Earth to
persistence over a specific location – and maintain position over
specific areas of interest for days, weeks, and eventually months
on end. The Zinger Stratollite launch window opens on June 21.
From its founding in 1930 by Colonel Harland Sanders, KFC has approached its business
with an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit, which lives through
partnerships with breaking edge companies like World View. With
this application of the Stratollite, together the two brands are
showing that rockets are no longer the only way to get payloads to
and from space.
"We're excited to be the ones pushing spicy, crispy chicken
sandwich space travel forward," said Kevin
Hochman, KFC U.S. president. "But in all seriousness, we're
proud to support World View's commitment to advancing space
research and trust them to take our world famous Zinger sandwich to
space."
Representing enormous untapped potential, Stratollites could
serve as stationary Wi-Fi hubs in remote or undeveloped areas that
may not have existing internet access, or monitor ongoing crisis
situations from a previously inaccessible vantage point. Future
flights could be used for disaster preparedness and response – from
predicting weather events days in advance, to monitoring ongoing or
quickly arising weather and disaster events (for example, forest
fire detection) – ultimately assisting first responders with
rapid communications and surveying capabilities.
"The Stratollite was created to deliver meaningful access to
space for all," said Taber MacCallum, World View co-founder and
chief technology officer. "This mission offers edge-of-space access
to KFC, allowing them to embark upon a one-of-a-kind marketing
experiment, while we get to pursue our maiden multi-day Stratollite
shakedown cruise and open unprecedented access to the stratosphere.
It's a double win."
In April Mission Commander Colonel Sanders announced the
arrival of the KFC Zinger in the U.S. as an individual sandwich or
as a $5 Fill Up combo meal. Created
by KFC, the chicken experts with more than 70 years of experience,
the Zinger is made with a double hand-breaded, 100 percent chicken
breast filet and served with lettuce and Colonel's mayonnaise on a
toasted sesame seed bun. The worldfamous sandwich is available in
more than 120 countries, and now available in space for a limited
time.
Watch this historic flight unfold at
www.yesweareactuallysendingachickensandwichto.space(kfcin.space).
The space mission campaign was concepted by Wieden+Kennedy, with
support from MediaMonks, Mediavest | Spark, and Edelman.
About KFC
KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's most popular
chicken restaurant chain. KFC specializes in Original Recipe®,
Extra Crispy™, Kentucky Grilled Chicken® and Extra Crispy™ Tenders,
Hot Wings™, Go Cups, KFC Famous Bowls®, Pot Pies, freshly hand
prepared chicken sandwiches, biscuits and homestyle side items.
There are over 20,500 KFC outlets in more than 125 countries and
territories around the world. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of
Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky.
(NYSE: YUM). For more information, visit www.kfc.com. Follow
KFC on Facebook (www.facebook.com/kfc), Twitter
(www.twitter.com/kfc) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/KFC).
About World View
World View's innovative flight
technologies offer a unique perspective of Earth from the edge of
space. World View delivers meaningful insights to enterprises,
agencies, and individuals via two primary business segments:
Stratollite un-crewed flight systems and Voyager human spaceflight
systems. Stratollites, in operation today, offer low-cost,
long-duration, persistent high-altitude flight for enterprise and
government agencies. Using advanced stratospheric balloon
technology, Stratollite applications include communications, remote
sensing, weather, and research. The Voyager human spaceflight
experience is under development and will launch in the near future,
offering private citizens a comfortable, safe, and
perspective-changing voyage to the edge of space via high-altitude
balloon. To learn more about World View, visit
www.WorldView.space.
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chicken-experts-kfc-partner-with-space-flight-experts-world-view-to-send-zinger-chicken-sandwich-to-space-300472707.html
SOURCE KFC Corporation