Superyacht concepts have always been known for exploring some wild notions of living. However, this next one has me wondering what the designer meant to say, and oddly enough, in a good way? I don’t know; I’m still trying to figure out where I stand on this one.
It’s called the Astera, and aside from lacking any sort of specs or details as to what’s going on here, it’s a superyacht concept pictured in some very odd settings, other-worldly, I’d say, so let’s start there.
Upon seeing the Astera for the first time, I couldn’t quite understand why its designer, Daniele Saccucci, would ever place it in settings that literally appear as though they’re from some other world. The only hint that we have that these settings would be anywhere remotely on earth is the moon in the background of most of them.
Photo: Daniele Saccucci
Then again, we can even spot a couple of astronauts in some of those images, sending my neurons into complete and utter confusion, yet again. Don’t get me wrong, we also see the Astera docked in some bay in Monaco, at least, that’s what the banner in the background states, but most of the renderings we see are of the cosmic nature.
The real question here is whether or not Astera could ever be a real deal, and what would it be bringing to the table? Time to find out.
One of the most striking design cues of Astera is this whole spacey feeling to the hull and superstructure above. The latter comes across as a literal UFO of the seas. I mean, if Astera was rolling through some icebergs with only the superstructure visible from a distance, tourists would begin to question where life began.
Photo: Daniele Saccucci
However, as a guest on the Astera, you’re aware that this superstructure is reserved for nothing more than the wheelhouse, sitting high above the rest of the ship, and a lounge, that has guests enjoying a view of the sky above through massive panels of glass. The only hinderance to our views is the framework shaping the dome-like structure and holding up the glass.
As I was exploring the Astera, I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that I’d seen this sort of design before, and sure enough, I have, and the chances are that you have too. If you’ve ever seen Star Wars and remember Senator Palpatine’s throne room, you’ll recall the glass wall integrated into the Death Star. That’s what it reminded me of, even though it doesn’t look exactly the same.
Below the superstructure, we can see Astera’s shape come to light, reminding me of speed boat design, albeit, accented with rolling edges to give it a spacey look. Large portholes integrated into the side give us a sneak peek inside and at the rear, a beach club with hot tub can be spotted too.
Photo: Daniele Saccucci
While all that’s pretty normal, what I found a bit interesting is the massive deck running in front of the wheelhouse. Here, guests can walk out onto the space, enjoy the view of the world around them, throw down a towel or two, maybe a couple of lounge chairs, or a couple of coffee tables and chairs and enjoy the trip while toasting in the sun.
This is also about the only outdoor space where guests can enjoy any outdoor time, unlike other superyacht designs which are all about exterior activities and spaces. The only other area where we can enjoy some fresh air is at the rear where the jacuzzi awaits. Be sure to picture yourself hanging out here and enjoying the view. If you’re buzzed enough, toss on an astronaut costume and have a laugh.
As for the interior of Astera, we don’t know a whole lot, but we can spot some areas through the portholes I mentioned and the transition from the beach club indoors. However, all we see is some models hanging around at coffee tables, nothing else. There’s no hint of staterooms, gyms, toys, garages, kitchens, or other entertainment options. What we see is what we get.
Photo: Daniele Saccucci
At the end of the day, Astera is more of an exploration into form, form that really does go against trends or any other superyacht which I may have seen in a while, and if I may, the past couple of years have been seeing an exploration into vessels that are breaking away from traditional design models for the industry.
However, there haven’t been a whole lot of them that have made it into a real deal, telling us that the manufacturing processes the industry currently employs may have a hard time shifting to meet millionaire dreams.
Then again, if the Astera was possible from a manufacturing point of view, would anyone want to be seen rolling into port on something like this? Feel free to comment below. Personally, I wouldn’t, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t someone out there who would. It would probably be some Russian oligarch or Asian client; both nations are known for their wild tastes.
