Netflix Launching SpaceX Docuseries In September

SpaceX is holding its first all civilian launch in September and the training and mission flight will be captured for viewers as part of a Netflix Inc NFLX series.

What Happened: Netflix will air a five-episode series called “Countdown: Inspiration4Mission to Space” coinciding with the SpaceX launch of the Dragon spacecraft, as noted by The Verge.

The episodes will show the process of training for the flight and provide a behind-the-scenes look at the logistics of a flight to space.

This is being billed as Netflix’s first near-real-time docuseries.

This September, four civilians will launch into space for a three-day trip orbiting Earth.

Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission To Space — the first Netflix documentary series to cover an event in near real-time — will premiere in five parts leading up to and following the mission. pic.twitter.com/8fLnxHCQNN
— Netflix (@netflix) August 3, 2021

The first two episodes have a tentative release date of Sept. 6 and episodes three and four will air a week later on Sept. 13.

A fifth episode will air as a feature-length finale premiering at the end of September, according to Netflix.

The series is co-produced by Time Studios and will be directed by Jason Hehir, who created the successful sports docuseries “The Last Dance” featuring Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

Netflix will also air “A StoryBots Space Adventure,” Sept. 14, a hybrid live-action animated show explaining how rockets work and how people eat in space to kids and families.

Why It’s Important: SpaceX, founded by Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk, announced the mission in February.

The Dragon will spend up to five days in orbit of the Earth. The flight will be commanded by Shift4 Payments Inc FOUR CEO Jared Isaacman. Also a pilot, Isaacman is raising $200 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as part of the flight.

This docuseries from Netflix could beat another SpaceX project in a battle for streaming viewers. HBO Max, from AT&T Inc T, will air a six-episode series on Elon Musk and the creation of SpaceX.

The HBO Max series is based on a book called “Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX and the Quest for a Fantastic Future.”

The series from Netflix could create more interest in space and space-related stocks. Billionaires Sir Richard Branson and Amazon.com Inc AMZN founder Jeff Bezos flew to space on Virgin Galactic SPCE and Blue Origin spacecraft respectively, creating more interest in the space sector in 2021.