Fred Sirieix and Chris Galvin in French commercial space flight

by Mona Peckeys

Fred Sirieix and Chris Galvin are to be the first dedicated hospitality staff to take part in a commercial space flight, it was announced today.

The move comes after Sirieix, the general manager of Galvin at Windows, and Galvin, chef patron of Galvin Restaurants, were chosen by the French space agency, the ASF for the mission.

The pair are to fly together on 14 February 2015 and are already taking part in a rigorous training programme, which has included weightlessness training with the French Air Force over France.

Galvin will undertake the cooking and Sirieix will provide the service during the flight for several high-net worth individuals. One of the dishes Galvin is expected to create is his version of the French classic - pan-fried Poisson d'Avril, although little else is known about their plans.

Meanwhile, the challenges posed by table cloths floating away in low gravity mean that the offering is likely to be relatively casual, and at more than 400km above the Earth's surface, produce is not expected to be locally sourced.

"We're absolutely thrilled to be the first - the experience is going to be second to none, certainly culinary wise," said Galvin, speaking in a press conference filmed earlier this morning when he and Sirieix announced their involvement in the mission.

To receive updates of the pair's progress in preparing for the mission, follow @GalvinatWindows, and to ask further questions, include the hashtag: #GalacticGalvin.

Watch Galvin and Sirieix talk about their planned space mission in their video press conference: