EVE online devs launch replica capsule into real-life stratosphere

Eve-Capsule

CCP, the Icelandic creators of free-flying space MMO EVE Online, have launched an actual thing into actual space. Specifically, it is a replica of one of the game's capsules: tiny, defenseless pods that house your pilot and become your sole means of transportation if your ship unceremoniously explodes.

Okay, I'm journalistically obligated to burst your bubbles and say that the balloon-launched capsule only made it into the stratosphere, which isn't technically "space" proper. But if you have any doubt as to the awesomeness of this feat, check out the video below.

In addition to the camera that provided the footage above, the pod carried the names of all main EVE characters active as of December 31st, 2011. What's more, those crazy Icelanders want to attempt this again, using a scale model Rifter (one of EVE's lower-end frigates and a craft very near and dear to my Minmatar heart). "We just can't think of any reason not to do it, so we have decided to go for it one more time," boasts the project's blog . "We made it into the stratosphere last time around but we are sure we can get it even higher!"

Conspiracy theories that Goonswarm members had plannned to throw thousands of tiny spaceship figurines into the sky to destroy the capsule if it did indeed reach space are already rampant in the PCG office.

Contributor

Len Hafer is a freelancer and lifelong PC gamer with a specialty in strategy, RPGs, horror, and survival games. A chance encounter with Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness changed her life forever. Today, her favorites include the grand strategy games from Paradox Interactive like Crusader Kings and Europa Universalis, and thought-provoking, story-rich RPGs like Persona 5 and Disco Elysium. She also loves history, hiking in the mountains of Colorado, and heavy metal music.

Latest in Sim
PowerWash Simulator 2 screenshots
'More evolution than revolution': PowerWash Simulator 2 is coming late 2025, and it's bringing online multiplayer and split-screen co-op with it
A child stands on top of a dinosaur exhibit, hugging the nose of a dinosaur skull.
As a real life museum employee, I'm a bit confused by the amount of pirate ghosts in Two Point Museum—but it's not going to stop me trying to make the most realistic exhibits I can
A citizen of a city
A lot is going on for Cities: Skylines' 10th anniversary—from freebies to new creator packs—but there's still a big ol' elephant in the room
Staring eyes in a face covered in oil
Death Stranding 2's PS5 release date is in June, let's hope it doesn't take 8 months to hit PC this time
Cities: Skylines 2 screenshot - street level at night
Cities: Skylines 2's asset editor remains a distant dream: Colossal Order is still working on it but says it's 'proven more technically challenging than initially anticipated'
Town in Tales of Seikyu with two townsfolk sat on the stairs
Tales of Seikyu is just your regular farming simulator, apart from the fact I've got shapeshifting abilities and I'm engaged to a pretty persistent kappa
Latest in News
Commander Shepard in Mass Effect 3.
Mass Effect's Jennifer Hale, who played femshep, 'saw no line' before she recorded them for Bioware's flagship trilogy: 'It was all cold reading on the spot'
A side by side comparison of two Asus Q-Release systems, with the original design on the top and the bottom showing the apparently new design.
Asus appears to have quietly changed the design of its Q-Release PCIe slot after claims of potential GPU pin damage
Microsoft's Task Manager in Windows 11
After years of complaints about Windows Task Manager displaying CPU utilization incorrectly, a fix is finally on its way
Sony RGB LED panel tech
Sony's fixing the wrong panel problems while showing off its new 'RGB LED' backlight tech with outrageous colours and brightness
Super Mario World
Super Nintendo consoles appear to be running ever-so-slightly faster as they age and speedrunning detectives are hot on the case
A photo of an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor surrounded by DDR5 memory sticks from Corsair, Kingston, and Lexar
Fresh leak suggests Intel's on-again-off-again Arrow Lake CPU refresh is back on the menu (boys)