National Geographic has reportedly given the green light to a new event-series, Return to the Moon, that is set to follow the NASA Artemis program, according to Deadline.
- National Geographic has assembled a team of award-winning producers and has given the greenlight to an event series that will follow the upcoming NASA Artemis missions.
- NASA’s Artemis missions will land the first woman and next man on the moon by 2024, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface. They come half a century after the Apollo flights wherein man first set foot on the moon.
- The series, tentatively titled Return to the Moon, will be filming over the next four years, which if everything goes to plan, will follow the missions from now until the next lunar landing launch.
- The series will also use National Geographic’s print and digital storytelling platforms to give viewers an all-access pass to the next batch of astronauts and their colleagues.
- The announcement of the series comes before astronauts have been selected for the Artemis missions, of which there are over 12,000 candidates. The series will document the efforts, ambitions, personal sacrifices and breakthrough first steps of those chosen for the program.
- The series will also follow the full progress of the mission, through Artemis I’s orbit of the moon, Artemis II’s crewed flight around the Moon and ultimately Artemis III’s lunar landings and return to Earth.
- The series is designed as a multimedia experience, and will use digital platforms, features, and podcasts told along the way and will all culminate in a special issue of National Geographic magazine once the mission is officially off the ground.
- The series is also planning to use a combination of original footage shot on 4K lenses as well as NASA’s own recordings, and will follow a similar model to what National Geographic did with their iconic overage of the original Apollo program.
What They’re Saying:
- Courteney Monroe, President, Content, National Geographic: “For more than 130 years, National Geographic has created a legacy of bringing landmark stories and achievements to world audiences. With extensive access to this history-making mission, we can once again inspire the world with a story of courage, imagination, passion and self-sacrifice through the eyes and the hearts of the Artemis team.”
- Executive Producers Simon and Jonathan Chinn “Return To the Moon has an astonishing human drama at its heart: a new and diverse generation of astronauts preparing to embark on the most extraordinary journey of their lives. By bringing our feature documentary background and sensibility to their stories, our focus will be on the intimate and often high-stakes emotional moments that no-one else will capture as the spotlight of the world falls on this pioneering endeavor, which will include the first woman stepping onto the lunar surface. We are thrilled to be working with NASA and National Geographic to bring this epic story to a global audience.”
- Series Director Jerry Rothwell: “I hope that by following the journey of the first woman to step on the moon, more than 50 years after the first Apollo landing, this series will inspire a new generation of young people to dream without limits. We’re excited for the Artemis Generation.”