Celebrating the lasting legacy of our planet’s off-world laboratory since it was first inserted into orbit in 2000, NOVA presents a two-part exploration of the venerable International Space Station with “Operation Space Station” on Nov. 5, 2025 and Nov. 12, 2025. This NOVA Production by Blink Films for GBH in association with France Télévisions, was written and directed by Oscar Chan.
This inspiring PBS science documentary utilizes cinematic recreations and advanced CGI alongside more than a quarter-century of NASA archival footage to tell the complete story of this extraordinary human endeavor.
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“What’s remarkable about the stories that ‘Operation Space Station’ tells is the way they remind us that the potential for disaster is a constant companion for the astronauts and how time and again, through innovative ideas and productive collaboration, they averted disaster,” said NOVA Co-Executive Producer Chris Schmidt. “Over 25 years of continual habitation, not a single life was lost aboard the ISS. It’s a testament to the courage and dedication of every astronaut and engineer. This film is comprehensive, emotional, and cinematic, and a real inside look at how humanity can thrive under extreme conditions.”
From NOVA’s “Operation Space Station: High-Risk Build” (Image credit: NOVA)
The initial chapter, “High-Risk Build,” examines the ISS construction process and considers the astounding engineering achievement it was. NOVA’s synopsis explains how “every step of this ambitious project unfolded against the backdrop of a merciless vacuum, dangerous radiation, and extreme temperatures.”
A second chapter, “Science and Survival,” reveals unexpected challenges that the crew encountered once the ISS was finished. Astronauts deliver memories of danger and heroism, “from the time astronaut Luca Parmitano’s helmet filled with water while on a spacewalk, to the time a software glitch on a new module propelled the entire station to spin out of control.”
From NOVA’s “Operation Space Station: Science and Survival” (Image credit: NOVA)
Besides its past and present history, the docuseries ends by peering into the ISS’s future as its journey is scheduled to conclude in 2030, when it is sadly de-orbited down into the Pacific Ocean.
“When you see the challenges that these astronauts had to overcome, you realize how thin the margin for error really is,” said Executive Producer Dan Chambers. “These moments aren’t just highlighting technical failures – they’re showing people solving impossible problems, in the harshest environment we know of, with physics, chemistry, and sheer will.”
“Operation Space Station: High-Risk Build” debuts Nov. 5, 2025 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS. “Operation Space Station: Science and Survival” drops Nov. 12, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET. Both will stream at PBS.org/NOVA, NOVA’s YouTube channel, and the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel.
