Blue Origin And SERA Are Creating 'A Space Agency For Everyone' With A Reality-style...

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When the fledgling Space Exploration and Research Agency ( SERA ) sent Victor Correa Hespanha into suborbital space with Blue Origin's NS-21 mission two years ago, it hoped to spark more interest in STEM education in a country not known for its space industry. What no one expected was the level of excitement it generated. The 28-year-old civil engineer spent two weeks as the most famous person in Brazil, behind football star Neymar Júnior.

"We were surprised because Brazil had had an astronaut, Marcos Pontes , about 16 years previously. But there hadn't been a relatable young person and he became a  cause célèbre  in Brazil," says Sam Hutchison, a British aerospace entrepreneur who cofounded SERA with American film producer Joshua Skurla. 

Candidates from five countries and regions with historically little to no access to space, plus one from the global public, will vie for  six seats  and  24 experiment spots  aboard New Shepard. As competition heats up, production crews will chronicle the candidates on social media to amplify engagement and help voters decide, culminating in a 2025 livestreamed launch from Blue Origin's West Texas spaceport. The flight will reach the Kármán Line, the international boundary of space at 62 miles, for 3-4 minutes of weightlessness. Hutchison and Skurla have been meeting with streaming services about a docuseries covering the final stage of astronaut selection and a possible postlaunch feature-length documentary.

On November 16, SERA executives will discuss their competition at the  SOMA Astronaut Summit , an Austin event where industry pioneers, thought leaders, and commercial astronauts will address the challenges and opportunities in the new era of commercial spaceflight. 

SERA's isn't the only effort forging new pipelines to space. For example, the nonprofit  Space for Humanity competitively selects civilian astronauts.  Intuitive Machines  offers internships to aspiring engineers from underserved communities.  The Infinite  is a touring immersive VR experience filmed aboard the International Space Station. But SERA is unusual in its combination of entertainment, public participation, and space career opportunities for marginalized nations.