Russian film crew in orbit to make first movie in space

Moscow: A Russian actor and a film director rocketed to space on a mission to make the world’s first movie in orbit, a project the Kremlin said will help the nation’s space glory. 

Actor Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko blasted off for the International Space Station in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft together with cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, a veteran of three space missions. Their Soyuz MS-19 lifted off yesterday from the Russian space launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan and arrived at the station after about 3½ hours. The trio reported they were feeling fine and spacecraft systems were functioning normally.

Peresild and Klimenko are to film segments of a new movie titled “Challenge,” in which a surgeon played by Peresild rushes to the space station to save a crew member who needs an urgent operation in



orbit. 

After 12 days on the space outpost, they are set to return to Earth with another Russian cosmonaut. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the mission will help showcase Russia’s space prowess.

Before Russia took the lead in feature filmmaking in space, NASA had talked to actor Tom Cruise about making a movie in orbit.

NASA confirmed last year that it was in talks with Cruise about filming on the International Space Station with SpaceX providing the lift. In May 2020, it was reported that Cruise was developing the project alongside director Doug Liman, Elon Musk and NASA.

Last month, representatives for SpaceX’s first privately chartered flight said the actor took part in a call with the four space tourists who orbited more than 585 kilometers high.