Published 12/13/2022, 1:34 PM EST
This year’s FIFA World Cup has been full of surprises. We’ve seen big teams fall early on and underdogs take us by surprise. With only four teams left and the finals just right around the corner, the competition is almost at its end. But the surprises are still not over.
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In an unexpected collaboration between Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Starlink and Qatar Airways, two official FIFA World Cup match balls were sent to space and back. Qatar Airways showed their excitement on Twitter with a video package and stated, “From space to the football pitch. We brought the official football for FIFA World Cup Qatar, becoming part of this historical out of the world journey together with SpaceX and FIFA,”.
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How were the world cup balls sent to space?
It was a typical day in Doha, Qatar. The sun was shining and the streets were bustling with people going about their day. But on the same day, something out of the ordinary happened. Two special packages were being loaded on Qatar Airways cargo plane. These packages were no ordinary packages – they were world cup balls.
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The journey to space began in Los Angeles, California, where the balls were transported from Doha. From there, they were taken to Cape Canaveral, Florida, for the launch. After a successful launch, the balls traveled to space and back, before being sent back to Qatar. According to Starlink, the balls traveled more than 1,300 km (808 miles), achieved top speeds of 8,272 km/h (5,139 mph), and peaked at an altitude of 123 km (76 miles).
SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk gestures during a conversation with legendary game designer Todd Howard (not pictured) at the E3 gaming convention in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 13, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake
The whole concept of launching balls into space and back is a bit of a head-scratcher. It’s not immediately clear what the benefits are. However, it’s an undeniably cool feat. And it’s sure to be a topic of conversation among football fans around the world. And now, with two World Cup balls having traveled to space and back, it’s safe to say that Musk has put his stamp on the biggest sporting event in the world.
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Elon Musk Gets His Piece in the FIFA World Cup as 2 Balls Travel 1300 km Into Space and Back
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