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Millions had their attention set on Blue Origin’s YouTube channel for the July 20 launch that took Jeff Bezos away from Earth, albeit for just 10 minutes.

Likewise, many tuned in to Richard Branson’s liftoff aboard his Virgin Galactic spacecraft that went up to space just a matter of days before Bezos.

These billionaires were aware that their launches would act as advertising for their brands, and invested heavily in making sure their roles in the new era of commercial space tourism won’t go unrecognised.

And because this has all become what is dubbed the “billionaire space race”, Elon Musk is naturally out there one-upping and out-(s)pacing.

This September, SpaceX will launch its first all-civilian crew into space, taking a multi-day trip around Earth.

But that’s not all, because they’re saying the rest of humanity can come along for the ride – virtually, that is.

Musk’s private space company signed an exclusive documentary deal with Netflix:

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

Vox has more:

The first two instalments of the five-episode miniseries, Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space, will debut on the streaming platform September 6 and will be the closest Netflix has come yet to covering an event in “near-real-time,” the company said on Tuesday.

Over the course of September, a team of videographers will follow the civilian astronauts, including billionaire Jared Isaacman, who will be piloting the spacecraft, as they prepare for the journey and eventually launch into space.

If all goes as planned, Netflix will release two more episodes on September 13; it will film the actual launch on September 15 and then stream it as a “feature-length finale” at the end of the month.

TIME has a video explaining everything you need to know:

Along with the new novelty of space tourism, the Inspiration4 mission and its streaming special will mark a new era of live broadcasting from space.

We can expect more reality shows filmed from space in the future, with a number already in the planning stages.

[source:vox]