The idea of doing private tourist missions for the extremely wealthy is no nothing new to SpaceX, and I assume that is why this mission has been called a “tourist mission.” Tom Cruise, director Doug Liman, and most likely each other as one seat has yet to be filled, will depart Earth in October 2021 to arrive at the International Space Station, according to the Space Shuttle Almanac.
NASA is excited to work with @TomCruise on a film aboard the @Space_Station! We need popular media to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists to make @NASA’s ambitious plans a reality. pic.twitter.com/CaPwfXtfUv
— Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) May 5, 2020
The purpose of the mission is officially unknown at the moment, but we can presume that actor Tom Cruise and director Dough Liman are either discussing filming opportunities or doing some form of filming for a future film. One thing is certain; the launch is more than a year away, meaning there is plenty of time to change plans, such as termination or the announcement of the other passengers.
As per dailymail.co.uk, Cruise has never been one to be scared to perform his stunts for his films’ daring challenges and is renowned for his thorough planning and daring stunts. The actor broke his ankle in 2016 while executing a rooftop-to-rooftop leap on the Mission: Impossible-Fallout London location set. He also reportedly hung on the side of an aeroplane as the plane took off for a scene in Mission: Impossible 2015- Rogue Nation and climbed Dubai’s Buri Khalifa skyscraper in Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol, 2011.
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
On May 30, when the Crew Dragon spacecraft aboard a Falcon 9 rocket to be launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the pioneering public-private collaboration between NASA and Elon Musk’s SpaceX took a giant leap forward. Onboard were NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken, marking the first crew launch from the United States to the International Space Station since the final flight in 2011 flight of NASA’s Space Shuttle fleet.
With the astronauts returning safely to Earth on August 2, the mission was a complete success.
