Inside SpaceX's Mission to Send Humans into Deep Space | Foreign Correspondent
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Published 2021-09-30
In the tiny Texan hamlet of Boca Chica, a huge rocket is being built and tested. It’s Elon Musk’s Starship, a 120-metre-high spacecraft whose mission is to transport humans to the moon and beyond, to Mars.
Musk and his company SpaceX are at the forefront of what’s being called ‘New Space’, the rush to commercialise the space sector.
His ambition is extraordinary; he wants to colonise the Red Planet.
“It’s helpful to have the objective of a self-sustaining city on Mars. This has to be the objective”, says Musk.
In his quest to perfect the Starship, Musk has been blowing up prototypes.
“He doesn't really care if it's messy, he doesn’t really care if it appears to be chaotic, he's trying to go forward into the future as fast as possible”, says space writer Eric Berger.
But the mighty rocket has its critics, including a former head of NASA, Charlie Bolden.
“The difficulty for me as a huge fan of SpaceX, but a huge sceptic about Starship is the fact that it's so big, it's so massive”, says Bolden. “If Neil Armstrong were alive today to talk to them, he would probably say, "That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard.”
US correspondent Sarah Ferguson heads to Texas to see Musk’s space base up close. She joins a band of devotees in Boca Chica, from Gene the local surfer to MaryLiz and Ryan who are dedicating their lives to documenting the billionaire’s space odyssey.
She speaks to members of the ‘space establishment’ – former and current NASA executives who’ve decided to accept and work with the great disruptor. NASA recently awarded Musk a multi-billion-dollar contract to build its next moon lander.
“I think actually this will be a perfect example of ‘New Space’ and ‘Old Space’ meeting together in a great new mission”, says Kathy Lueders, head of the NASA mission to send humans back to the moon.
Sarah travels to Florida’s space coast to witness the launch of SpaceX’s Inspiration4, the first time civilians have flown into orbit.
Musk is a polarising figure, but he’s changed forever how humans view space.
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All Comments (21)
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Big thanks to Cosmic Perspective, SPadre and Everyday Astronaut for being generous with their time and footage, it helped us immensely in making this show. This was the last episode of Foreign Correspondent for this year, we are taking a short break before we begin working on the next season over summer. We'll be back in February next year. Thank you for watching ! 🚀🚀🚀
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A mainstream news outlet did proper reporting on a space exploration topic, and even credited people in the space community. This is a historic day.
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"If we lost One starship, let alone 6 or however many its been" As an Ex Nasa Administrator, he sure did not want to mention the loss of two shuttles, and 13 (7 and 6 respectively) astronauts. Elon is blowing them up to see how it will fail, without lives being lost.
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I can't believe the ABC actually made something I enjoyed - well done!
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A smart move deciding that Space-Nerd Sarah Ferguson should be the one to make this programme. This professional, yet emotional documentary has just begun to fill the gigantic void in public knowledge about what's going on. And it's so enthralling to be able to follow every step along this monumental journey with such open access to the work at Boca Chica. Go Starship!
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I don't know why but that ending is very emotional to me. Just something about all that joy and hope is very heart warming.
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Well done!! Thanks ABC for sharing the Starship dream with the world, and sorry about the bumpy boat ride, next time I'll bring the seasick pills lol. Really enjoyed hanging out with yall, hope to sea ya at orbital!
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Wow, this is one of the best documentaries I've seen from a normal media organization on the current space industry. Nicely done!
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Well done ABC, as an Aussie and massive fan of Cosmic Perspective, SPadre and Everyday Astronaut its so awesome to see our national broadcaster feature them in a doco. They are truly documenting history.
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That is probably the best coverage of what's happening in SpaceX, by a large network, that I have yet seen. 10/10 would recommend.
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Thank You for coming here to tell the story of what's taking place, for putting such a beautiful piece together, and for spending time with us. We so enjoyed connecting and are grateful for the way this turned out. On an additional and personal level, thank you for allowing us to speak through our art and music. Having an opportunity to pause with you on Cocoa Beach to contemplate the Inspiration4 launch was very meaningful to me. Ad Astra! -MaryLiz
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This is a gift to Humanity. Child of Saturn 5 lives! Rapid technological advancement without a war driving it. The 50 year wait is finally over in my life time. I feel so lucky to be able to see it! Thank you Elon and all SpaceX workers!
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As a fully committed space junkie, this is the best coverage I have seen and you certainly did your homework. This is the future that can bring everyone together. If anyone wants more information there are multiple Youtube channels that livestream 24\7 and provide coverage of nearly every space launch around the world, with total positivity and inclusion.
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Best Foreign Correspondent episode ever 🥺❤️ If people watch the full interview with everyday astronaut, they will understand why Elon is in such a hurry.... Hint: it has zero to do with Ego, and everything to do with our very survival. Go Elon. He's the embodiment of determination in the face of adversity. Never give up. The human spirit to survive and thrive. You'll know which moment they edited out of Tim's interview and why. If you pay attention you'll see why so many people believe in Elon and will work their butt off for him..
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Wow, this is a quality documentary here.
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That is just another graphic example of Musks genius, He's not worrying about building multi-billion dollar air conditioned facilities somewhere near 5 Star Hotels, instead doing it like a construction site in a place that doesn't rain much to disrupt construction. Awesome dude
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Thanks ABC for putting this on Youtube, This is already doing the rounds of the SpaceX groups on Social media.
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Thanks aunty for covering something that interests a lot of Aussies. We are always well represented on live streams and online discussions but the local media doesn't tend to cover tech with any depth or integrity and the broader non-techie audience misses out. Good selection of commentators and visuals.
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More mainstream news and current affairs programs should be doing what Sarah Ferguson and the ABC have done here to bring the wonder, inspiration, and joy of the new Space Age to the general public. I think they don't realize how important this all is to the average person. It is Humanity's rite of passage into a new world. Excitement will snowball as the future of technology insinuates itself into the daily lives of us all. I can't wait!
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I can’t believe I’m watching this on ABC. Respect. And thank you so much for finally covering things that matter in an up close and personal way. Interviewing people active in the space community like Tim Dodd and using footage from him and LabPadre was amazing. Great job producing this. Please do more content like this in the future!
