‘Space Titans’ Goes Inside SpaceX Launch, Get an Exclusive Sneak Peek at the New Special

The final frontier of private space travel is upon us, and discovery+ is taking viewers on a behind-the-scenes journey of historic endeavors like the SpaceX launch in the new special, Space Titans: Musk, Bezos, Branson, streaming Thursday, Nov. 4 on discovery+. PopCulture.com has an exclusive sneak peek of the special’s in-depth interview with SpaceX Founder and Chief Engineer Elon Musk, conducted in partnership with The Washington Post and Christian Davenport.

“This is really the fundamental revolution in space flight is reusability,” Musk says in the preview of the Falcon 9 rocket’s reusable first-stage booster. Reusing the second-stage booster proves to be a more challenging task due to the greater distance from the earth at which it detaches and the higher speed at which it descends, but Musk is confident that unlocking the key to that will prove revolutionary for space travel. “The closer we can get to full and rapid reusability, that’s really what opens up a lot of potential in space,” he explains in the special, adding later, “The crazy thing is that except for Falcon 9, all the other rockets in the world are expendable.”

Crew Dragon astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken also give viewers an inside look at their space flight, giving the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at the launch. With the door to space now open, Space Titans explores the possibilities of space tourism with expeditions like Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic. 

With the new era of private space flight at hand, NASA is also shifting its focus back to the moon after more than 50 years with plans not only to travel to the moon but to stay there. NASA’s ambitious plan to land on the moon’s south pole by the year 2024 will require its biggest rocket ever, allowing for Mars to be the next goal for astronauts. Musk is another one with eyes on Mars, predicting that SpaceX will land humans on Mars by 2026 and establish a colony by 2050. Get the inside scoop on this and more with Space Titans: Musk, Bezos, Branson, created in partnership with The Washington Post, which begins streaming Thursday, Nov. 4 on discovery+.