Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space

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Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space
Poster for Netflix series about Inspiration4 mission.png
GenreSpaceflight documentary
Based onSpaceX Inspiration4 mission
Directed by Jason Hehir
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes5
Production
Production locationsUnited States, low Earth orbit
Production companies
  • TIME Studios
  • Known
  • Words + Pictures
  • JMH Films
Original release
Release6 September (2021-09-06) –
30 September 2021 (2021-09-30)

Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space is a 2021 American five-part docuseries jointly produced by Netflix and Time Studios to chronicle, in near real-time, the successful SpaceX Inspiration4 orbital mission which occurred in September 2021.

Contents

Conception and announcement

Netflix confirmed the production of the documentary series about the first all-civilian orbital mission on its Twitter account on 3 August 2021 [1] [2]

The project began in January 2021. [3]

Promotion and release

SpaceX founder Elon Musk used social media to urge his followers to watch the Netflix series. On the day of Inspiration4's launch, he also used Twitter to urge his followers to tune into the Netflix YouTube channel to watch the launch of the historic mission. [4]

The first four episodes were released for streaming on schedule, airing 6 and 13 September 2021. The final episode was released on 30 September and captured the Inspiration4 crew's launch, orbital activities, and successful return to Earth. [3]

Reception

Early reviews of the series praised its portrayal of the civilian crew and its in-orbit footage, but also criticized the initial episodes as overly promotional. [5] [6]

Jeff Foust indicated that while the exclusive footage and the interviews were fascinating, the docuseries lacked drama, and expressed the concern that it could be a new template for Space Age media relations [7]

Episodes

No.Directed byOriginal release date
1Jason HehirSeptember 6, 2021 (2021-09-06)
2Jason HehirSeptember 6, 2021 (2021-09-06)
3Jason HehirSeptember 13, 2021 (2021-09-13)
4Jason HehirSeptember 13, 2021 (2021-09-13)
5Jason HehirSeptember 30, 2021 (2021-09-30)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Elizabeth Howell (4 August 2021). "Netflix will co-produce a documentary about SpaceX's Inspiration4 mission". Space. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  2. ↑ Mangan, Lucy (6 September 2021). "Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space review – does Elon Musk really need the free PR?". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  3. 1 2 Kohn, Eric (30 September 2021). "Netflix Beat Tom Cruise and Russia to Orbit: How 'Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space' Captured History". IndieWire. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  4. ↑ Horton, Adrian (7 September 2021). "'The point is ambition': are we ready to follow Netflix into space?". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  5. ↑ "Netflix Strokes Elon Musk's Otherworldly Ego". The Daily Beast. 6 September 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  6. ↑ page, Neel V. Patelarchive. "Netflix's SpaceX docuseries misses the mark on Inspiration4". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  7. ↑ Foust, Jeff (6 October 2021). "Is Netflix's Inspiration4 docuseries a new era in Space Age media relations?". SpaceNews. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
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