Fortitude: Forging the Trillion Dollar Space Economy (2024) on Netflix

Plot summary

The documentary looks at the emerging space industry through three parts, and at the people and capital behind it. The first covers the earth-to-space business, the rockets and the astronauts going up. The second follows the satellites that beam data back to feed a space-to-earth economy. The third turns to space-to-space work: private space stations, manufacturing in orbit and asteroid mining. Those interviewed include policymakers from the United Nations and from space agencies, venture capitalists, established technology companies and newer startups. It also asks whether the most hyped projects make economic sense, what sustainability beyond Earth could require, and what to make of the large fortunes driving the push.