Discovery Channel documented history in the making as NASA launched the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on Saturday, May 30, from the historic Launch Complex 39-A in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA.
The event marked the first crewed space mission to be launched into orbit from U.S. soil since 2011, and to celebrate this milestone, a special two-hour documentary, NASA & SpaceX: Journey to the Future, featuring exclusive access to the incredible journey leading up to this launch, will air on Wednesday, June 10, at 6:30 p.m. (PH) on Discovery Channel (Sky Cable CH 39/Cignal TV CH 140/Destiny Cable CH 56).
The film crew was granted unprecedented access to the NASA and SpaceX headquarters – giving viewers a rare glimpse inside Launch Control and first-hand accounts from SpaceX Founder and Chief Engineer Elon Musk, astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
The documentary reveals the behind-the-scenes action with the teams of SpaceX engineers, NASA employees, and scientists as they fulfill the SpaceX mission to “fly, test, and fix” their way to the ISS – with the goal of eventually flying to the moon and to Mars.
The documentary will immediately be followed by Space launch Live: America Returns to Space, another special which will take viewers inside the launch, at 8:10 p.m. (PH).
The event takes viewers along the mission to launch veteran astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the ISS on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. The mission, known as Demo-2, utilizes a Falcon 9 rocket, also built by SpaceX, to propel it. Discovery Channel coverage will feature commentary from astronauts, engineers and, other special guests, as well as unprecedented coverage during the launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre.
“Discovery Channel has spent over a year documenting SpaceX’s race to become the first private company to launch American astronauts into space. Our special offers both incredible access for the launch and expert insight. In our two-hour documentary, we show the unbelievable engineering and scientific feats achieved by SpaceX in making such a historic launch happen,” said Scott Lewers, Executive Vice President of Multiplatform Programming, Factual & Head of Content, Discovery Channel.
“In these unprecedented times of isolation, we are excited to bring our viewers together to experience this event in a way they won’t see anywhere else, in the comfort of their own homes.”
The two-hour documentary and accompanying broadcast are made in partnership with The Washington Post and staff writer Christian Davenport, whose experience allowed him to gain inside access to key players – including a rare in-depth interview with SpaceX Founder and Chief Engineer Elon Musk – and captures their incredible stories about this historic space achievement.
