Russian Actors Blast Off to Attempt a World First: A Movie in Space

The Russian mission is designed to get in first before a Hollywood project announced earlier this year by actor Tom Cruise together with NASA and SpaceX.

By Reuters | Updated: 5 October 2021 17:22 IST

Russian Actors Blast Off to Attempt a World First: A Movie in Space

Crew members Russian actress Yulia Peresild, cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, and film director Klim Shipenko

Highlights

The Russian movie titled "The challenge" focuses on a story of a doctor
Cosmonaut crew members are also set to appear in the film
The crew will be launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome

A Russian crew of two cosmonauts, a movie director, and an actress blasted off for the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday to shoot the first movie in space, the latest twist in decades of Russia-US space rivalry.

The Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft is set to dock at 12:12 GMT (5:42pm IST) at the station, which orbits Earth at an altitude of around 220 miles (354km).

Russian state media provided blanket and patriotic coverage in the run-up, with a countdown clock running on Channel One and news anchors framing the development as a significant breakthrough by Russia that the rest of the world is watching closely.

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The fanfare contrasted with the mixed fortunes of Russia's own space industry which has in recent years been dogged by delays, accidents, and corruption scandals as US-based private firms backed by rich businessmen have developed new spaceships.

The 12-day Russian mission follows the launch of the first all-civilian crew aboard a rocket and capsule developed by SpaceX, which was founded by businessman Elon Musk.

The Russian mission is designed to get in first before a Hollywood project announced earlier this year by actor Tom Cruise together with NASA and SpaceX.

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Russia, first as the Soviet Union, and the United States have competed fiercely to reach various space exploration milestones: Russia launched the first satellite and put the first man and woman in space, but NASA beat it to the Moon landing.

The Russian movie titled "The challenge" focuses on a story of a doctor, portrayed by actress Yulia Peresild, who is asked to travel to the space station to save a cosmonaut's life. Cosmonaut crew members are also set to appear in the film.

Director Klim Shipenko, whose height of 1.9 metres (6 feet 2 inches) makes the flight in a small capsule especially challenging, has already said he was looking forward to a Mars-based sequel.

Reflecting the Soviet roots of Russia's space industry, the crew will be launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome in the steppes of Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic in Central Asia. Russia leases the cosmodrome.

Russia's own, newer Vostochny cosmodrome is years away from serving manned aircraft, officials say.

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