Stream now with KPBS Passport on KPBS+ / Watch Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV
Drawing from over 250 hours of exclusive footage and video diaries filmed on the International Space Station, "Space Explorers: Moonrise on The Iss" is a documentary inspired by Felix & Paul Studios’ Emmy Award-winning virtual reality series, "Space Explorers: The ISS Experience" — the largest production ever filmed in space.
Later this decade, the Artemis program will send people to the Moon for the first time in 50 years. In "Moonrise on the ISS," meet some of the potential candidates of Artemis before they were candidates.
The documentary follows seven astronauts as they live on the International Space Station (ISS), an outpost of humanity in space. Astronauts conduct science experiments, use themselves as guinea pigs for medical research, and test life-support systems—effectively making the ISS a proving ground for travel to the Moon and beyond.
However, much has changed since the Apollo program. In "Moonrise on the ISS," Anne McClain dreams of becoming the first woman on the Moon and reflects on the historical women of spaceflight that have made her opportunities possible. Christina Koch and Jessica Meir set new milestones.
The documentary also features Victor Glover, a candidate for the first person of color on the Moon, as well as Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques. Canada will be the second country to send an astronaut to circle the Moon. As the astronauts learn from one another and prepare for the future of spaceflight, they share how living among the stars has shifted their perspectives about life on Earth.
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Credits: Written and directed by Ashley Duong, Félix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphaël. Produced by Katarina Soukup. Executive Producer: Stéphane Rituit. Distributed by American Public Television
