- Actor Tom Cruise and director Doug Liman are currently scheduled to depart Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft in October 2021.
- The mission is reportedly related to an upcoming film, though details are rather scarce.
- SpaceX has been open to the notion of space tourism but has yet to launch a paying customer into space.
If you dislike actor Tom Cruise, I’ve got some great news for you. If you love actor Tom Cruise, I also have some great news for you. Believe it or not, it’s the same news: SpaceX has agreed to shoot Mr. Cruise into space! Hooray for everyone!
If you’re a Cruise hater, you’ll be happy that he won’t be on planet Earth for a while, but if you happen to be a fan, you’ll be happy to hear that he’s going into space with director Doug Liman and (likely) a co-star so that they can scope out and perhaps even film some scenes for a new movie. That’s pretty awesome.
The entire thing is being considered a “tourist mission” for SpaceX. The company has been bullish on the idea of generating revenue from flying private (and very wealthy) people into space for whatever reasons they desire, but in this case, it’s for the purposes of filmmaking.
The two (likely three) passengers will be carried to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. At the helm of the ship will be Michael López-Alegría, a true veteran of spaceflight and the man that holds a pair of records for spacewalks. He knows a thing or two about space, and would seem to be the perfect guide for the actor, director, and whoever else comes along for the ride.
So its confirmed that @CommanderMLA is flying the @Axiom_Space @SpaceX #CrewDragon tourist mission with Director @DougLiman & Tom Cruise. One seat still to be filled. They are to launch in October, 2021. pic.twitter.com/dn6SLvCOGz
— Space Shuttle Almanac (@ShuttleAlmanac) September 19, 2020
As Space Shuttle Almanac revealed on Twitter, the flight is expected to take place in October 2021, which is over a year away. That means a few things, but the most important to note is that there’s a long time for those plans to change. This wouldn’t exactly be the first time that a SpaceX “tourist” flight was announced and then never took place, but the fact that the mission will include work on a movie would seem to give it a bit more weight. We’ll have to wait and see.
Whether the mission is just one of many for the film or if it’s simply an educational excursion for the actor and director to ensure realism for an upcoming flick is unclear. Whatever the case, thanks to the lengthy timelines of Hollywood productions, we likely won’t be seeing the fruits of their labor for some time. In any case, it’s definitely cool that SpaceX is open to “tourist” missions, but as we’ve yet to see one get off the gro
