An American production company plans to produce a reality TV show that pits multiple people against each other in a space life training contest. The key:a ten-day stay on board the ISS.
The price of a ticket to space is relatively expensive, so your only chance to appreciate the Earth seen from above could well be to emerge victorious from a broadcast reality TV.
The production company Space Hero Inc., in fact, plans to organize a television contest, during which several contestants from all over the world will train to go into space, reports Deadline . The winner of this show, designated by the public, will then be offered a ticket to the ISS. Worldwide distribution is planned, also underlines Numerama .
As part of this project, Space Hero Inc. would normally work with aerospace company Axiom Space. In other words, it is she who will organize the trip. Founded by a former NASA employee, the company offers flights to private astronauts to the ISS. It also plans to install up to four modules at the station, which will then be separated to form an independent structure.
As for the carrier, Axiom points out that it has not yet selected a partner. The match should be played between SpaceX and Boeing, even if the fight seems already won in advance for SpaceX. And this for several reasons.
Boeing's capsule – Starliner – has indeed so far not sent any astronauts into space, unlike SpaceX, with its historic flight operated last May. The company also plans to send another manned mission to the ISS next October with not two but four astronauts on board.
The Starliner capsule is also the most expensive option, with a seat estimated at around $90 million. SpaceX's seats are much "cheaper", selling for around $50 million. In addition, Axiom Space has also already entered into a contract with SpaceX to send four tourists to the ISS on board the Crew capsule in 2021.
When will this program be offered? Hard to say given the current pandemic situation. According to Deadline, the trip should nevertheless take place after 2023 .
Recall that so far only a dozen individuals have had the chance to visit the International Space Station as tourists. All flew aboard the Soyuz capsule. The last to have stayed there – ten days – was the Canadian Guy Laliberté, in 2009. Nevertheless, the private sector promises to soon be able to offer the same type of services.
Remember that several other projects are in progress. In addition to the partnership between Axiom and SpaceX, mentioned above, there is also talk of the company Space Adventures collaborating again with RSC Energia, the most important Russian company in the space sector. As part of this new contract, a client may be required to perform a spacewalk. A first.
However, to date there has never been a reality TV show that ultimately sends someone into space. The idea had nevertheless already been proposed by the start-up Mars One which, a few years ago, aimed to finance a crewed mission to Mars via a reality TV channel. The company has since gone bankrupt.
