If you blast durian into space, will it still smell?

Today Blue Origin today successfully launched the New Shepard space vehicle’s Mission 9. The spacecraft is carrying payloads from private companies, universities and space agencies- including the world’s smelliest fruit.

Durian fruit are produced by at least nine Durio species (there are 30 in total), and there are more than 300 named varieties in Thailand, 102 in Indonesia, and 100 in Malaysia. The only species traded on the international market is Durio zibethinus. Across Southeast Asia, durian fruit are banned from many enclosed locations (including public transport and hotels) because of their sickening and lasting fragrance. Food writer Richard Sterling described it as “pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock” but those who can get past that believe the durian to be the ‘king of fruits’, with an unsurpassable flavour.

The durian is a tall, single-stemmed tree that grows in tropical regions. It can reach over 35 metres in height. It bears large, spiny fruits, each of which can reach 5 kg in weight. The fruit is divided inside, with several oblong seeds in each segment. The ‘fruit’ that is eaten is the fleshy arils enclosing the seeds, a creamy coloured flesh. It can make up nearly a third of the total weight. 

Despite being a quintessential part of Thai life, the durian isn’t native to Thailand – it hails from Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Thailand is the world’s top durian exporter, however.

People either love or hate durian. According to Food Plants of the World: “It is the most expensive fruit in Southeast Asia. The taste is a strange mixture of buttery custard mixed with bananas, caramel, vanilla and garlic.”

When ripe, the fruit can be eaten raw, and is usually served with sugar, fresh cream or