Tom Cruise will launch aboard a SpaceX rocket to film a movie at the Space Station & could become the first civilian to do a spacewalk

In May 2020, former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced the agency will collaborate with Hollywood action movie actor Tom Cruise to film a movie at the International Space Station (ISS). 

“NASA is excited to work with Tom Cruise on a film aboard the Space Station! We need popular media to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists to make NASA’s ambitious plans a reality,” said Bridenstine. –“Should be a lot of fun!” the founder of SpaceX Elon Musk said in response to the announcement. 

Cruise is expected to launch to ISS atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the NASA Kennedy Space Center aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft, which is capable of docking to the ISS autonomously. A specific launch date has not been officially announced yet.

The actor’s spaceflight is managed by Axiom Space, a company from Houston, Texas, that offers spaceflight management services for civilians to visit the ISS. The company is also a space infrastructure manufacturer; it has ambitious plans to build its own space station in low Earth orbit.

 Earlier this year, on January 20, Axiom announced it will build an ‘inflatable media venue module’ that will be attached to the Space Station to be used by Cruise upon arrival. It is set to be “the world’s first content and entertainment studios and multipurpose arena in space.” The module is scheduled to be installed at the Space Station in 2024 [date is subject to change]. 

Tom Cruise is known for doing his own stunts in action movies. He could become “the first civilian to do a spacewalk” outside of the Space Station, the head of Universal Pictures Donna Langley told BBC in an interview this week. 

The yet-to-be-titled action movie has a budget of around $200 million. Cruise will go on a SpaceX adventure with action film director Doug Liman, who will be in charge of recording movie scenes in zero gravity. 

“Tom Cruise is taking us to space. He’s taking the world to space. That’s the plan,” said Langley. "We have a great project in development with Tom, that does contemplate him doing just that. Taking a rocket up to the space station and shooting and hopefully being the first civilian to do a spacewalk outside of the space station," said Langley. 

They also shared that most of the movie “takes place on Earth, and then the character needs to go up to space to save the day.” 

Reference(s): BBC