There's been plenty said about the rising cost of food, felt everywhere from the grocery store to your favorite Michelin-starred restaurant.

But it's important to remember all that goes into a good meal, from sourcing high-quality ingredients and paying fair wages, to sending your staff into space...

The "stratospheric dining experience" comes from luxury space travel company SpaceVIP and Space Perspective, which built a pressurized capsule that can ascend 100,000 feet above sea level via a massive balloon, rather than a rocket. Joining the team is two Michelin-starred chef Rasmus Munk from Alchemist restaurant in Copenhagen, which is currently ranked as the fifth best restaurant in the world.

According to SpaceVIP:

Guests will enjoy a six-hour, multi-course meal of a lifetime above 99% of Earth's atmosphere on the world's first carbon-neutral spaceship. Each Explorer will be outfitted by French fashion house Ogier, who will be crafting made-to-measure outfits designed using cutting-edge fabric technology developed specifically for this mission.

Chef Rasmus’s imaginative creations will augment every step of the experience, including dishes inspired by the role of space exploration during the last 60 years of human history, and the impact it has had on our society – both scientifically and philosophically. Chef Rasmus will tell an intentional story through the language of Holistic Cuisine that will inspire thought and discussion on the role of humanity in protecting our planet, challenging the diner to reexamine our relationship with Earth and those who inhabit it.

To be clear, this is technically the edge of space, not outer space. But still, it's a lot different than your typical dinner. After six hours of dining, wining and viewing the curvature of the earth from about three times the height of a commercial airliner, the vessel will bring travelers back down to the surface for a slow, splash landing in the ocean.

The experience will launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in late-2025. It's not cheap, as you've probably gathered by now. The cost to join the mission is a hefty $495,000, which is a lot to pay for a meal but a lot less than certain billionaires have paid to shoot themselves into orbit. And all proceeds from this expedition will be directed to the Space Prize Foundation, dedicated to promoting gender equity in science and technology.

The company says that "seeing our planet from the edge of space has the power to create a cognitive shift and inspire a greater appreciation for Earth and a deep connection to humanity as a whole." They're referring to the overview effect, a phenomenon noted by astronauts, wherein they develop a keen sense of connection with the planet and all who inhabit it. 

Whether that can be achieved during this six-hour meal of a lifetime remains to be seen. But you can find out for $495K.