Space Jams: Why is it so tricky to blast off from Earth?

What in the World

A growing number of private companies are wading into the global race for space dominance. Space X, Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, Axiom, Vast and Boeing all have their sights set on the stars.

But how ready are we for the new era of space exploration?

Two space flight mishaps have recently made the headlines.

On Sunday, a space rocket owned by a private Chinese company accidentally launched itself during a test, before crash landing into a hillside.

Last week, two NASA astronauts on a critical test flight for Boeing’s new commercial spacecraft were forced to delay their return home because of helium leaks and thruster issues. The flight, launched on 5 June, was meant to last 10 days and show that the Starliner spacecraft is ready to ferry crews to and from the International Space Station. But NASA announced that the astronauts will stay at the station well into the summer until the issues are resolved.

More than fifty years after landing on the moon, why is space flight still so tricky?

Space X parachute engineer Pele Collins explains what goes into a rocket launch and why space flight is still so complicated.

And James Bruegger, co-founder of Seraphim Space, a SpaceTech investment company working to transform science fiction into science fact tells us about the wild wild west of the booming commercial space economy.

Email: [e-mail] WhatsApp: [phone] Presenter: Alex Rhodes Producers: Kevyah Cardoso and Benita Barden Editors: Verity Wilde and Simon Peeks