New reality TV show to send winning contestant into space

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief | 1d

Plans are unveiled for a new reality show that will send its winning contestant to the International Space Station.

A new reality TV show will send its winning contestant on a mission to the International Space Station in 2023, it has been revealed.

The show, Space Hero, will launch "a global search" for a regular member of the public who has a passion for space to undergo a competition for a seat on a flight to the ISS.

The place has already been secured by production company Space Hero, who plan to assemble a group of candidates before putting them through tests of physical, mental and emotional strength.

The ambitious series, which is expected to air either worldwide via multiple local broadcasters or a single global streaming service, will include a live episode in which the winning contestant is revealed.

Subsequent episodes will follow the winner's journey up to the ISS, where they will spend 10 days with bona fide astronauts, culminating with their return to Earth.

Marty Pompadur, who helped develop the concept, told Deadline: "Space Hero is the new frontier for the entertainment sector, offering the first-ever truly off-planet experience.

"We aim to reinvent the reality TV category by creating a multi-channel experience that offers the biggest prize ever, to the biggest audience possible.

"Space Hero is about opening space up to everyone – not only to astronauts and billionaires."

The new series comes after multiple failed attempts to launch shows along similar lines, including an idea for a show that hoped to send a group of people on a one-way mission to Mars.