Soon, you’ll be able to join billionaires and take part in the space race too. The catch is that you’ll be watching it from the comfort of your couch on TV
Netflix says its new documentaries, ‘Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space’ will bring space tourism directly to your screen.
But is hosting what is essentially a reality TV show in space a good idea?
This question comes as we increasingly are looking to answer questions about the accessibility and ethics of space tourism.
Everything you need to know about Inspiration4 Mission to Space
The series will follow a civilian crew as they journey into space aboard a SpaceX aircraft.
It will come in five parts, with Netflix releasing the first episode on September 6. Two more episodes will be released on September 13, and the launch will be streamed as a “feature-length finale” to be released at the end of the month.
Netflix says: “From training to launch to landing, this all-access docuseries rides along with the Inspiration4 crew on the first all-civilian orbital space mission”.
The mission will raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Netflix will also release an cartoon to explain the mission to children and their families.
However, despite attempts to essentially brand the mission as inclusive to ‘regular people’, it should be noted that billionaire Jared Isaacman will be piloting the aircraft.
First-time for Netflix covering a “near-real time” event
The series also comes as a first for Netflix. The streaming giant has hired a team of filmers to follow the astronauts as they prepare to go into space.
Julia Alexander from Parrot Analytics told Recode that Netflix has much to gain from the deal.
“Shooting something into space, that’s something that’s going to bring in subscribers globally”
Natasha is an Associate Producer at ticker NEWS with a Bachelor of arts from Monash University. She has previously worked at Sky News Australia and Monash University as an Online Content Producer.
Tesla cut the U.S. prices of its Model Y, Model X and Model S vehicles by $2,000 each, days after the first-quarter deliveries of the world’s most valuable automaker missed market expectations.
Elon Musk’s electric-vehicle (EV) maker lowered the prices for its Model Y base variant to $42,990, while the long-range and performance variants are now priced at $47,990 and $51,490, respectively, according to its website.
The basic version of the Model S now costs $72,990 and its plaid variant $87,990. The Model X base variant now costs $77,990 and its plaid variant is priced at $92,900.
Tesla North America also said in a post on X said it would end its referral program benefits in all markets after April 30.
Referral program allows buyers to get extra incentives through referrals from existing customers, a strategy long used by traditional automakers to boost sales.
Musk has postponed a planned trip to India where he was to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and announce plans to enter the South Asian market, Reuters reported on Saturday.
On Monday Reuters reported, citing an internal memo, that the EV maker was laying off more than 10% of its global workforce.
Earlier this month Reuters reported the EV maker had canceled a long-promised inexpensive car, expected to cost $25,000, that investors had been counting on to drive mass-market growth.
The EV maker reported this month that its global vehicle deliveries in the first quarter fell for the first time in nearly four years, as price cuts failed to stir demand.
Tesla is to report first-quarter earnings on Tuesday.
TikTok Notes has launched in Australia & Canada as a formidable competitor to Instagram, offering a unique platform for content creation, text and sharing.
“TikTok Notes is a lifestyle platform that offers informative photo-text content about people’s lives, where you can see individuals sharing their travel tips and daily recipes,” reads the official App Store description.
Take note
The app allows users to create content by combining short videos with text-based notes, closely resembling that of Meta’s Instagram.
Whether it’s sharing a quick tutorial, a personal anecdote, or a thought-provoking message, TikTok Notes is positioned to be a formidable social media platform.
Currently, the app is only available for download and “limited testing” in Australia and Canada.
As it gains momentum, the platform is poised to contest Instagram’s established reign in the social media landscape.
The United States’ longstanding advocacy for an open internet faces a critical juncture as Congress considers legislation targeting TikTok.
The proposed measures, including a forced sale or outright ban of TikTok, have sparked concerns among digital rights advocates and global observers about the implications for internet freedom and international norms.
For decades, the U.S. has championed the concept of an unregulated internet, advocating for the free flow of digital data across borders.
However, the move against TikTok, a platform with 170 million U.S. users, has raised questions about the consistency of America’s stance on internet governance.
Critics fear that actions against TikTok could set a precedent for other countries to justify their own internet censorship measures.
Russian blogger Aleksandr Gorbunov warned that Russia could use the U.S. decision to justify further restrictions on platforms like YouTube.
Similarly, Indian lawyer Mishi Choudhary expressed concerns that a U.S. ban on TikTok would embolden the Indian government to impose additional crackdowns on internet freedoms.
Moreover, the proposed legislation could complicate U.S. efforts to advocate for an internet governed by international organizations rather than individual countries.
China, in particular, has promoted a vision of internet sovereignty, advocating for greater national control over online content.
A TikTok ban could undermine America’s credibility in urging other countries to embrace a more open internet governed by global standards.