A new wave of space exploration has begun. This past year and a half has been pivotal for space exploration and this intense wave of innovation is just getting started. The year 2021 will go down as the year that billionaires went to space – with highly publicized launches around their big-budget orbits. Space travel isn’t just for NASA astronauts now. But how did we get here and what is next in the incredible race to space? SPACE TITANS: Musk, Bezos, Branson, an all-new special streaming Thursday, November 4 on discovery+, will follow the world’s most successful entrepreneurs who are putting billions of dollars on the line to launch a revolution in space.
The special is in partnership with The Washington Post and staff writer Christian Davenport, whose depth of experience allowed him to gain inside access to key players. Davenport will go inside the incredible innovations taking place right now and what’s to come including an exclusive behind-the-scenes interview with SpaceX Founder and Chief Engineer Elon Musk.
The door to space is now open. NASA has engaged the help of private companies to send astronauts into orbit, and to go even further into space exploration. Companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX are taking NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). But the space station is just the starting point. Structures like the ISS will serve as transfer stations – creating human outposts off Earth, making what was once considered science fiction a reality. This ends almost a decade long span of no astronauts taking flight from United States soil. Other companies like Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic are making history as well by sending private citizens to space as tourists.
In this new era of private space flight, NASA can focus on returning to the moon after over 50 years. The moon has always held a special allure for space exploration. Now, NASA plans not only to go to the moon, but to stay there. NASA has an ambitious program to land on the moon’s south pole by the year 2024. To make that journey, NASA will use its biggest rocket ever. And with the moon as a base, Mars becomes in reach as the next goal for astronauts. Musk also has his eyes on Mars and predicts that SpaceX will land humans on Mars by 2026 and establish a colony by 2050.
This is the moment in time that these space titans have been building towards for decades. Old and new companies are pushing the boundaries with their limitless dreams. It’s a moment fueled by imagination, innovation, and colossal rockets — taking us into the final frontier of private space travel for all.
Viewers can join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #SpaceTitans and follow Discovery on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the latest updates.
SPACE TITANS: MUSK, BEZOS, BRANSON is produced by Storied Media Group in association with The Washington Post with Aaron Fishman, Peter Reiss, Tarin Laughlin, and Todd Hoffman as executive producers and Christian Davenport as Consulting Producer. For Discovery, Inc, Wyatt Channell, Scott Lewers, and Caroline Perez are executive producers.