Tech

Countdown is on for Netflix to release its reality TV program in space

Published

2 years ago

August 23, 2021

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.

The crew aboard SpaceX’s Inspiration4 Mission to Space will include Chris Sembroski, Hayley Arcenfaux, Jared Isaacman and Dr Sian Proctor

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”.

“We’re all going to space”

It’s pretty clear that Netflix is angling the series to cut through criticism that space tourism is exclusive to the exorbitantly rich.

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.

This September, four civilians will launch into space for a three-day trip orbiting Earth.

Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission To Space — the first Netflix documentary series to cover an event in near real-time — will premiere in five parts leading up to and following the mission. pic.twitter.com/8fLnxHCQNN
— Netflix (@netflix) August 3, 2021

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”

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Natasha Schapova

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.

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Business

Can new tech hires be sustained?

Published

5 hours ago

June 9, 2023

ticker NEWS

As technology companies continue to lay off staff, Australian research shows the future may be brighter

Australia has a target of delivering 1.2 million critical tech workers by 2030.

However, the sector has been battered by changes and layoffs since the pandemic came to light.

Kate Pounder is the CEO of the Tech Council of Australia, who said the pandemic changed the playbook for many companies across the sector.

“There is some evidence that there was a boom in job creation and company formation during the pandemic.”

The Tech Council of Australia recently revealed an 8 per cent increase in tech jobs last year.

It means Australia’s tech workforce is around 935,000.

“When there’s change in the labour market, you see people using that to start a business,” Ms Pounder said.

Despite the rapid layoffs across many major technology companies, Ms Pounder said for every job lost over the past quarter, 20 have been created.

“We are finding that the ease of people moving into jobs is getting a little better.

“It’s still challenging to find people in Australia, particularly for people in specialised roles,” she said.

Business

Tech layoffs reach their highest point in over 20 years

Published

1 day ago

June 8, 2023

ticker NEWS

There have been over 130,000 layoffs across the technology sector in the last five months

The technology sector was billed as the most exciting industry to work in.

Big offices, big dreams, big money were all part of the parcel for many companies attracting staff.

As many organisations caught onto the momentum of the pandemic, the same energy has not been particularly met on the other side.

Thousands of workers have since been laid off as the good times stopped rolling.

In fact, the technology sector’s layoffs are the highest since the dotcom bubble burst 22 years ago.

The BT Group is one of the latest companies cutting staff.

Fifty-five thousand have lost their jobs as part of a corporate restructure.

CEO Philip Jansen will freeze his £1.1 million salary until he retires, according to reports from Sky News.

The ground is also shifting as artificial intelligence takes hold and the economy worsens.

BT Group said it is laying off 11,000 staff because of the increased capacity for artificial intelligence in the workplace.

At the same time, companies like Apple and Goldman Sachs are among those restricting or banning the use of tools like ChatGPT amid privacy or data concerns.