New Discovery show will send winner to International Space Station

A new show on the Discovery Channel will send one lucky winner to the International Space Station next year.

In a news release obtained by CNBC, the network indicated that the show, which it plans to air in 2022, will be an eight-part series that concludes with one participant joining Axiom Space’s AX-2 private spaceflight scheduled to launch in January.

The mission, which will use SpaceX launch and capsule technology, is set to be the first fully private spaceflight.

“This is an incredibly exciting time for space storytelling that gives us an opportunity to see the Earth from a vantage point few have ever experienced,” Scott Lewers, executive vice president of Discovery’s Science Channel, said in a statement. “It is truly the next frontier for those who not only dream of traveling into space, but are also curious about the mysteries of the universe. We are looking forward to taking our audience on this unprecedented journey.”

A request for further comment from the network was not immediately returned.

The show will center around “extreme challenges” that will help the private sector would-be astronauts develop and showcase “the attributes real astronauts need most, and as they undergo the training necessary to qualify for space flight and life on board the space station,” according to the news release.

A casting call on the company’s website indicated that interested participants must be 18 years or older and valid U.S. residents.