The first-ever movie shot in space is almost in motion as the orbital altitude of the International Space Station (ISS) has been adjusted for the launch of the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft.
Russia’s Roscosmos space agency said in a statement that the crew of the Soyuz will include cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, actress Yulia Peresild, and film director Klim Shipenko.
“The altitude of the International Space Station was adjusted to create ballistic conditions for the launch of the Soyuz MS-19 crewed transport spacecraft and the landing of the Soyuz MS-18 spaceship’s capsule,” the statement reads.
The adjustment was initially scheduled for August 19 but had to be postponed due to the technical unpreparedness of the US segment.
Seven crew members are currently working aboard the orbital outpost, including Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov, NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Pesquet and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.
The Russian movie “The Challenge” is planned to be filmed partly on the International Space Station in October.
The plot involves a cosmonaut who suffers a cardiac arrest during a spacewalk and, although he survives, he will require surgery to ensure he can handle the Soyuz return to Earth. A female cardiac surgeon, named Zhenya, has to be sent to the ISS to perform the procedure with only a few weeks to prepare for the trip.
Shipenko explained that he plans to shoot 35 to 40 minutes of screen time onboard the ISS during a 12-day stay, and he will have to combine numerous roles, including director, camera operator, and makeup artist.
