Scenic has named one of NASA’s first female astronauts as godmother for Scenic Eclipse II, its second ultra-luxury expedition ship.

Dr Kathy Sullivan is the first American woman to complete a spacewalk and the first woman to explore Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench.

She will officially christen the ship in a ceremony in Malaga on 3 June 2023.

The 228-passenger Scenic Eclipse II is scheduled to join the fleet in April next year, and will feature helicopters and a submarine “to give guests unrivalled access to nature during sailings”, the cruise line said.

During her career, Sullivan has been a crew member on three Space Shuttle missions and helped to launch the Hubble space telescope.

She also holds three Guinness World Records based on her explorations.

Scenic ‘pushing the boundaries’

Scenic Group chief sales and marketing officer Anna Wolfsteiner said: “We are immensely proud to have Dr Kathy Sullivan as godmother.

“She truly is the living embodiment of what our yacht stands for – innovation, pushing the boundaries, making discoveries and revelling in a sense of adventure.

“Throughout her career, Dr Sullivan has grasped life’s opportunities and committed to advancing our knowledge of the world around us.

“We believe the guests who travel aboard our ultra-luxury discovery yachts share that same passion and curiosity to explore and learn.”

Sullivan added: “It’s a high honour to be a ship’s godmother. I’m especially delighted to be godmother to a vessel as well-designed for exploration and discovery as Scenic Eclipse II.”

Scenic Eclipse made its debut earlier this year during an inaugural Mediterranean voyage.