A reality show by makers of 'Bigg Boss' aims to fuel space travel dream among Indians

An upcoming space reality show.

The US-headquartered Space Exploration and Research Agency (SERA) — founded by Sam Hutchinson and Joshua Skurla — wants to make space travel accessible to one and all across the globe.

In a bid to realise their ambitious plan, the American duo has touched base with Banijay Asia — the makers of popular non-fiction content such as “Bigg Boss” and “MTV Roadies” — for a reality show on space travel for Indian participants.

The format of the reality show will be on the lines of “MTV Roadies” and “Indian Idol”.

Anybody can register to be part of the show. Candidates will be shortlisted for the show through public voting. At the end, one candidate from India will be chosen who will undergo training at Blue Origin’s launch site in West Texas. The chosen candidate will go on a mission of New Shepard, Blue Origin’s reusable suborbital rocket, which will fly on an 11-minute journey past the Kármán line, measuring 100 kilometres, the internationally-recognised boundary of space.

Blue Origin is a rocket company owned by American billionaire Jeff Bezos.

Altogether, 10 participants will be picked from national trials. Of the 10 finalists, three contestants will be sent to SERA to undergo training and from whom one person will make the grade for the space mission.

Pre-registrations are open on SERA’s website.

Data shows that as of last week, over 10,000 Indians evinced their interest in the space programme.

Deepak Dhar, Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Banijay Asia, along with Hutchinson and Skurla have given the spin to the upcoming reality show by promoting it as a space programme.

A space reality show 

"The show will be beyond what people have seen in reality shows as far as language, visuals and experience of participants are concerned. We want to reinvent unscripted television both in India and globally,” Dhar said.

"If you were one of the three selected, you would be flown out to Texas. There will be a final selection phase for all six seats, including the Indian traveller. The astronaut training facility will put the candidates to test and give the Indian public the opportunity to decide whom to send to space. Once the selection process is over, candidates will be taken to Blue Origin's facility in West Texas, where they will undergo physical training and safety preparations for the space flight," Hutchinson said.

“The great thing about Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket is that it’s automated. There will be a three-day training session in West Texas ahead of the space odyssey,” Skurla said.

He spelt out the eligible norms to take part in the space programme. The candidate must be over 18 years of age, a human and have an appetite for space travel are the only three parameters to qualify.

The upcoming reality show to be aired both on TV and streaming platforms.

“The big idea is to take the event to the grassroots as far as participation is concerned. The show is expected to go live by the early half of next year.  We’re still working on the final timeline since it’s being aligned with the launch of the rocket into space,” Dhar added.

The inception

The genesis of the big idea was in 2022 after Hutchinson and Skurla had purchased a single seat in Blue Origin. 

“The seat was given to a young man called Victor Hespanha who became Brazil's second-ever astronaut. It was an incredible national response and a matter of immense pride in Hespanha. We wanted to make the mission bigger and be open to other countries that have had few or no astronauts," Hutchinson added.

Hespanha is working with SERA as a science communicator and a business development lead for South America.

Incredible India

India is at the core of SERA's spaceflight programme.

“The country is experiencing an incredible moment when it comes to public excitement about exploration of space and the technology associated with it. India’s recent space missions have been nothing short of spectacular, including Chandrayan-3, which was the most streamed YouTube live show of all time with a whopping eight million concurrent viewership. India is a market that is waking up to the excitement and possibilities of space exploration," said Skurla.

He said that while ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) is choosing from the best for its missions, his organisation wants to give the same opportunity to enjoy the wonders and magic of space to Indians from all walks of life.

“Our mission is about empowering ordinary people to run their own space odyssey," he added.

‘Bigg Boss’ and more

The space reality show is among the many contents in Banijay Asia’s portfolio which is much higher than the 35 titles the company offered in India back in 2022, said Dhar.

For instance, this year, “Bigg Boss Marathi” was one the most successful content for the company.

"It's great to see that all our franchises and the various languages of that franchise are doing well, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi and OTT [over the top] — Big Boss OTT with Anil Kapoor and now Big Boss Marathi with Riteish Deshmukh," Dhar added.

Regional content segment for Banijay is growing between 25 and 30 per cent year-on-year. "We see more growth in the regional space. So, we are investing a lot of effort in that segment," he said.

The company has also tied up with a Bollywood film producer Sajid Nadiadwala who has produced successful franchises like “Housefull”, “Baaghi”, among others.

The joint venture will produce multiple films and series for OTT platforms.