Channel 4 takes one giant leap for broadcasting

Astronomy and cosmology have never been more popular on television – as evidenced by Brian Cox mania over the past few years – and Channel 4 is now boldly going where no broadcaster has gone before with the airing of a new space show that will take viewers around the world.

Channel 4’s Live from Space Season will culminate with an interactive TV event featuring a two-hour broadcast from the International Space Station (ISS) and Mission Control in Houston as the ISS completes an entire orbit of earth.

Following in the footsteps of popular BBC shows including Stargazing Live and Wonders of the Solar System – and not forgetting The Sky at Night – the trio of shows will air in March, delivering “unprecedented access to NASA” and the chance to get up close and personal with astronauts.

David Glover, head of specialist factual at Channel 4 has described the ISS as an incredible example of humans working together.

“To have been granted this access by NASA to the ISS and Mission Control is a true British TV first,” he said. “We hope to show what life on board is really like, what happens when things go wrong and then finally giving viewers a live lap of planet earth.”

The ISS travels at almost 300 miles a minute (17,500 miles per hour) and makes a complete orbit of earth every 90 minutes. The live visuals will look down at the earth from 250 miles above.