Russia gears up for first movie to be shot in outer space, picks cast

Russia has selected four people to serve as non-professional crew members and actors in what is planned to be the first film to be shot in outer space, Russia’s Roscosmos space agency said on Thursday.

Some of them are scheduled to launch on a Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft on October 5 to be sent to the International Space Station, which orbits the Earth at an altitude of about 220 miles (354 km), according to Roscosmos and NASA.

“Among other things, they will have to do centrifuge tests, stable vibration tests, perform incoming and training flights on a zero-gravity aircraft, undergo parachute training,” Roscosmos said.

The film has the working title Challenge and the four will begin space flight training by the end of this month, the agency said.

After a medical show and as a cast for the drama, Russia has selected 36-year-old actor Yulia Peresild and actor and director Klim Shipenko, 37, to join the main cast.

Actor Alena Mordovina, 33, along with camera director Alexei Dudin, 40, were named to the reserve team.

In October 2020, Russia sent the last crew held by a U.S. member to the International Space Station, marking the end of a long dependence as the United States revived its ability to launch the crew in an effort to cut costs. of sending astronauts into space.