Can Elon Musk help Tom Cruise film the world’s first action movie in space using a SpaceX rocket?
Cruise plans to shoot his next movie in collaboration with Nasa on the International Space Station and be transported using a SpaceX rocket
Tom Cruise wants to take action movies to an extremely new level by filming his next blockbuster about 250 miles above Earth. His hope: SpaceX, the rocket company founded by Elon Musk, will take him there.
Nasa administrator Jim Bridenstine confirmed on May 5 that the agency will work with Cruise to shoot a film aboard the International Space Station. The news was first reported by Deadline. The as-yet notional mission is a three-fold collaboration between SpaceX (a private company), Nasa (a government agency) and Cruise to make the first narrative feature film outside Earth.
Bridenstine emphasised the film as a way to “inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists to make @NASA’s ambitious plans a reality”. Nasa will grant private citizen access to the International Space Station’s facilities, however, Nasa will require a fee to allow an independent astronaut aboard the station.
Elon Musk tweeted that SpaceX’s involvement with the mission: “Should be a lot of fun!”
Russia is the only country with the ability to transport people to and from the station. But SpaceX has been making efforts to send private citizens to space. To that end, the company plans to launch its first crewed mission to the International Space Station on May 27.