Tom Cruise has officially been cleared for space travel, in order to film a movie on the International Space Station, according to a report by TMZ. The outlet obtained the I.S.S.’ official 2020-2023 manifest, revealing that Cruise will be onboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon flight scheduled for one year from now. So far, his project has not been revealed.
Cruise will be going up into orbit with director Doug Liman, who he worked with on Edge of Tomorrow. So far, reports indicate that they will not be working on a Mission: Impossible movie, but beyond that, no details about the project have been revealed. Whatever it is, it will be the first major motion picture to be filmed in space. NASA officials have been sharing their excitement about the collaboration for months.
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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
Cruise is known for his death-defying action stunts and aerial maneuvers, particularly within the Mission: Impossible franchise. One major selling point of Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation was a practical stunt where Cruise clung to the outside of an airplane in flight.
The news of Cruise’s collaboration with NASA comes just after NASA announced its exciting new Artemis plan. On Monday, the agency revealed that it will send live astronauts to the surface of Earth’s moon in 2024, for the first time since the last Apollo lunar mission in 1972. In addition to putting another man on the moon, the mission will carry the first woman there as well.
“With bipartisan support from Congress, our 21st-century push to the Moon is well within America’s reach,” NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said. “As we’ve solidified more of our exploration plans in recent months, we’ve continued to refine our budget and architecture. We’re going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers. As we build up a sustainable presence, we’re also building momentum toward those first human steps on the Red Planet.”
The Artemis mission will use NASA’s own Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion spacecraft, rather than the Crew Dragon craft being used for travel to and from the I.S.S. The first test flight — Artemis I — is currently scheduled for 2021, followed by a manned flight in 2023. Finally, the moon landing will take place in 2024.
