Firm Plans Broadcast Studio in Space

Ever watched a TV show that looked like it was from outer space? It soon could be.

Spacehab, a Washington company that sends research modules and cargo pallets into space for NASA, is building a new space module called the Enterprise that will be attached to the International Space Station and will include a broadcasting studio and multimedia production facility.

Spacehab is building the Enterprise with the Russian space firm RSC Energia, and they will attach the $100-million module to the Russian portion of the space station in 2002, two years before the space station itself is due to be completed. Last week, Spacehab announced the launch of Space Media, a subsidiary that will concentrate on creating space-based content for television and the Internet.

The Enterprise initially will broadcast educational programs, make cosmonauts available to chat on morning TV shows and film documentary footage, said Chris Petersen, Space Media’s senior vice president of business development.

Later on, the Enterprise could host journalists and entertainers who would broadcast from space. A Hollywood production company has even approached Space Media about the possibility of filming a sitcom in the giant orbiting tube, which will measure 25 feet long and 9 feet in diameter, Petersen said.

Broadcasts could be sent live to Earth every 90 minutes as the Enterprise orbits the planet. Spacehab is now pursuing distribution deals and strategic alliances with news organizations, television networks and cable stations, the company said.