Explore The International Space Station By Floating Up Close In VR

If you’ve given up hope of ever being able to walk on the International Space Station, there’s still a chance for your fantasies to come true. As a conclusion to the Space Explorers: The ISS Experience virtual-reality television series, Meta Quest is offering the opportunity to explore the space station without even leaving your house. 

The ISS Experience is a four-part Emmy-award-winning series developed by production company Felix & Paul. The program, which began as a television series, follows a crew of astronauts on the ISS and captures their daily lives and their work aboard the ISS. Its last episode, Expand, gave viewers a chance to take a step into space by making it a VR experience available on the Meta Quest and Meta Quest 2 headsets.  

Aboard the ISS simulation, viewers will follow the same space crew from the series and accompany them on missions, walkabouts, and even gain an unparalleled view into the culmination of their mission as they prepare to head back to Earth after a year in space. 

The series was shot over two years and is the largest production to have been accomplished in space. Its final chapter took place during the pandemic, which posed a lot of difficulties for the entire operation as many uncertainties arose when planning a return home. 

The closing episode, according to Meta Quest, was the first to be filmed with high-resolution cinematic VR cameras that will make you feel as if you were really walking among the stars. The episode also includes a 227-nautical-mile view of Earth, giving its viewers an otherworldly view of life and humanity as Earth sits below them. 

Felix & Paul is also planning a 360-view VR live stream of NASA’s Artemis 1 launch later this year. 

[via Mashable and VR Scout, cover image via Meta Quest]