Space industry pros and Constellations readers know the next space race is underway! HBO’s recently released documentary Wild Wild Space looks behind the scenes to follow several private companies racing to dominate in LEO. Constellations spoke with director Ross Kaufmann and producer Ashlee Vance about the making of the documentary who answered questions about their inspiration for the film, the research process and what it was like working behind the scenes.

Why make this film now?

Prior to the documentary, Producer Ashlee Vance published a biography of Elon Musk before going on to write his 2023 book on the satellite industry, When the Heavens Went on Sale. The projects sparked his interest in the unprecedented growth in the commercial space sector, as well as the eclectic personalities behind these companies.

The documentary was made to reflect a unique moment in space and satellite, Vance explained. “For sixty years, this was a field that was controlled by a handful of governments that moved at their pace and did what they wanted in space,” he said.

Things are changing, however, and Vance hopes this film will bring awareness to the new era of space. “If you go to the average person on the street and you say, for sixty years we had 2000 satellites around the earth, and now we’re about to have 100,000, nobody knows that. Nobody’s paying attention to that.”

The documentary also shows an unconventional side of the space industry that many may be unfamiliar with. “When you walk into these factories, it’s guys with mohawks at mission control, all these welders playing whatever Guns N’ Roses as they do their work,” said Vance. “It’s just a very different set of characters. I’m quite certain that this is the first film ever to show this side of what space has become.”

What was it like behind the scenes?

Vance began working on the project before eventually bringing in Kauffman as an experienced director. As a journalist, he was able to access spaces and people that might have been difficult to reach otherwise. “We managed to get cameras into places that you don’t usually get cameras inside of as a result of some of this access,” said Vance.

When Kauffman was brought onto the team, there was a massive amount of film already shot. “Coming out of COVID, there was 250, 300 hours of footage and no real direction,” he said. “Which is great for me.” He eventually narrowed the footage down to a story that followed three individual companies and their founders.

The documentary also features previously unseen footage of mission control during failed rocket launches. “You’re going to be inside of mission control as rockets blow up,” said Vance. “You will not have seen this before. And there’s a reason you haven’t seen this before… it’s a very hard field to be in.”

Why focus on these rocket and satellite companies?

Satellite companies are at the heart of the massive growth in space, which is why they chose to spotlight a satellite Earth observation company like Planet, which has demonstrated commercial viability. “It’s the satellites that actually do stuff and where the real money is and the real action,” said Vance.

The core of the documentary centers around Chris Kemp from Astra, Peter Beck from Rocket Lab, and Will Marshall and Robbie Shingler from Planet Labs. The unifying thread is Pete Warden, who led the NASA Ames Center in Silicon Valley for several year, and “assembled this young group of people to think about space differently,” said Vance.

Kauffman also leaned into the theme of found families while putting together the documentary. “Pete sort of raised these kids,” Kauffman said. “At some point, I was even thinking about maybe naming the film ‘Pete’s Kids’ because Pete Warden played such an incredible role in it.” The relationships between the founders are a core part of the film, according to Kauffman. “The rivalry is incredible between Peter Beck and Chris, Astra and Rocket Lab,” he said.

What is commercial space going to look like in 10 to 20 years?

The transition away from government control will be another interesting aspect of space, according to Kauffman. “From space debris to anti-satellite maneuvering, governments losing control of space… it’s kind of up for grabs in the private sector,” he said. “There’s not a lot of regulation up there right now… it’s kind of an inflection point. It could go either way.”

Vance expressed excitement about the future of space, especially with the recent boom of commercial space. “I feel like we just captured this moment in time that is now going to play out over the next 10, 20 years,” Vance said, but maintaining a sustainable business will be the challenge for many of these startups.

“We will see who survives,” he added.

Listen to the full interview here. Wild Wild Space is available to stream on HBO Max, or watch the trailer below.

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