A QUEST for the perfect scoop of ice-cream goes galactic today when some Dorset ice-cream is sent on a mission.

Staff at Purbeck Ice Cream are sending a tub of their ice cream in to near space at 9am today.

In partnership with Chris Hillcox, a high altitude ballooning hobbyist, Purbeck Ice Cream is looking to find out if ice cream would sufficiently freeze in space in order to reach “the perfect scoop”, in a never-ending quest to find the perfect ice cream consistency for maximum enjoyment.

The tub of Purbeck Ice Cream will pass through the mid-stratosphere and temperatures down to minus 50 Celsius, before it makes its way swiftly back down to earth.

With two GoPro’s, tracking electronics and a 500ml tub attached to the payload, the Purbeck Ice Cream tub will be filmed on its entire journey to near space and back again, and taste tested on landing.

The launch will be broadcast live on Facebook Live from the farm in Kingston, where Purbeck Ice Cream is made, and there will be live tracking of the payload as it makes its way up into space.