CNN Surveys “Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight” in New CNN Original Series [VIDEO]

CNN Original Series, Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight examines the 2003 Space Shuttle disaster across four immersive episodes featuring exclusive interviews and revealing never-before-broadcast footage. Co-produced by BBC and Mindhouse Productions, the four-part series will premiere with two episodes on Sunday, April 7 @ 9PM ET/PT on CNN. The final two episodes will air the following Sunday, April 14 @ 9PM ET/PT.

Columbia was the first Space Shuttle to launch and redefined space travel – it took off like a rocket, landed like a plane, and was reusable – making the dream of routine space flight a tangible reality. Across four episodes, the story of the ticking-clock of Columbia’s final mission is told in dramatic detail, beginning months before the troubled launch, unfolding across the sixteen days in orbit, and concluding with the investigation into the tragic loss of the seven astronauts’ lives. Weaving together intimate footage shot by the astronauts themselves inside the orbiter, exclusive first-hand testimony from family members of the Shuttle’s crew, key players at NASA – some of whom have never spoken before – and journalists who covered the story on the ground, the series paints an intimate portrait of the women and men onboard and uncovers in forensic detail the trail of events and missed opportunities that ultimately led to disaster.

“This chapter in the Space Shuttle Program captured the nation’s attention and is equally as captivating in the retelling, with storytelling fueled by those who lived it firsthand and newly revealed footage from the NASA archive,” said Amy Entelis, Executive Vice President of Talent, CNN Originals, and Creative development for CNN Worldwide. “Our viewers have long been fascinated by stories of space exploration and this series is a strong example of the CNN Original Series team’s distinctive talent for providing a fresh perspective on historical moments.”

With wide-ranging access to NASA’s archives, including previously unseen footage and findings from the official investigation, Space Shuttle Columbia is the definitive telling of this national tragedy and the inside story of one America’s most iconic institutions, uncovering how financial pressures and a culture of complacency may have contributed to the events of February 1, 2003. The series also reflects on the legacy of the Space Shuttle era, serving as a timely exploration of the challenges and inherent dangers that remain relevant to space travel today.

Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight is executive produced by Emma Tutty and Emma Whitehead for Mindhouse, and Amy Entelis and Lyle Gamm for CNN Original Series.

Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight will stream live for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps on Sunday, April 7. It will also be available on demand beginning Monday, April 8 to pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps, and Cable Operator Platforms.

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About CNN Originals

The CNN Originals group develops, produces and acquires original, long-form unscripted programming for CNN Worldwide. Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent and content development, oversees the award-winning CNN Originals portfolio that includes the following premium content brands: CNN Original Series, CNN Films, CNN Presents, and the newly formed CNN Studios, an internal production studio which creates long-form programming for CNN’s global platforms. Since 2012, the team has overseen and executive produced more than 45 multi-part documentary series and 60 feature-length documentary films, earning more than 110 awards and 445 nominations for the cable network, including CNN Films’ first Academy Award® for Navalny, making CNN the only news organization with this distinction. Acclaimed titles include the Peabody Award winning and 13-time Emmy® Award-winning Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown; five time Emmy® nominee, Apollo 11, directed by Todd Douglas Miller; Emmy® nominated Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico; The Last Movie Stars, directed by Ethan Hawke about the lives and careers of actors and humanitarians Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman; Grammy® Award nominee Little Richard: I Am Everything, directed by Lisa Cortés; This is Life with Lisa Ling; Primetime Emmy® and duPont-Columbia Award-winning, RBG, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen; See It Loud: The History of Black Television, executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter; the Producers Guild Award and three-time Emmy® Award-winning Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy; the Emmy® Award-nominated “Decades Series”: The Sixties, The Seventies, The Eighties, The Nineties, The 2000s, and The 2010s, executive produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman; BAFTA nominee and Directors Guild Award winner, Three Identical Strangers, directed by Tim Wardle; and the five-time Emmy® Award-winning United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell; and The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper. CNN Originals can be seen on CNN, the CNN Original Hub on Max and discovery+, and for pay TV subscription via CNN.com, CNN apps and cable operator platforms.

About Mindhouse

Mindhouse is an independent production company founded in 2019 by filmmakers Louis Theroux, Arron Fellows and Nancy Strang, with Sophie Ardern appointed director in 2022. Telling compelling stories with intelligence and humanity, it has quickly established a reputation for tackling thought-provoking and complex subjects, while also developing new talent and innovative projects that inform, entertain and inspire. Recent TV projects released have included the hit two part series on Netflix, Can I Tell You A Secret? the critically-acclaimed four part series, Lockerbie, for Sky Documentaries; the six part series, Louis Theroux Interviews for BBC Two; the award-winning feature documentary, Tell Them You Love Me; also KSI: In Real Life, an intimate 90-minute documentary for Amazon Prime Video as well as the critically acclaimed three-part BBC Two series Gods of Tennis. In 2023, Mindhouse also built on its success in producing podcasts with two new podcast series: Rylan: How To Be A Man for BBC Radio 4 and with two series of brand-new Spotify Original podcast series, The Louis Theroux Podcast.

About Warner Bros. Discovery

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world’s most differentiated and complete portfolio of content and brands across television, film and streaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences worldwide through its iconic brands and products including: Discovery Channel, discovery+, CNN, DC, Eurosport, HBO, HGTV, Food Network, OWN, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Magnolia Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, Max, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Film Group, Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Bros. Games, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, Discovery en Español, Hogar de HGTV and others. For more information, please visit www.wbd.com.