Return to the Moon Event Series Set for Nat Geo

National Geographic, through a long-term collaboration with NASA, is set to air the special event series Return to the Moon (w.t.), which will follow the group of astronauts involved in the Artemis program.

The series will track the Artemis program right up to the moment NASA lands the first woman and the next man on the moon. It will give viewers a look behind the scenes over the course of four years—from now until the lunar landing launch—introducing them to Artemis’ key players. Return to the Moon will follow the full progress of the mission, through Artemis I’s orbit of the moon, Artemis II’s crewed flight around the Moon and ultimately Artemis III’s lunar landings and return to Earth.

Return to the Moon will shoot in 4K on prime lenses and blend NASA’s own recordings. It is produced for National Geographic by Lightbox. Lightbox Co-Founders Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn, together with Suzanne Lavery, join as executive producers. Jerry Rothwell will serve as series director. The event series will premiere from National Geographic around the world.

National Geographic will use all of its print and digital storytelling platforms to invest in extensive, multiyear coverage of NASA’s journey. It will report and photograph in the labs and in the field for major milestones. Further, the brand’s latest digital and social media innovations will be used to provide audiences with an immersive, multimedia experience. The digital news stories, features and podcasts told along the way will culminate in a special issue of the magazine once the mission is officially off the ground.

Courteney Monroe, president of content at National Geographic, said: “For more than 130 years, National Geographic has created a legacy of bringing landmark stories and achievements to world audiences. With extensive access to this history-making mission, we can once again inspire the world with a story of courage, imagination, passion and self-sacrifice through the eyes and the hearts of the Artemis team.”

Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn said: “Return to the Moon has an astonishing human drama at its heart: a new and diverse generation of astronauts preparing to embark on the most extraordinary journey of their lives. By bringing our feature documentary background and sensibility to their stories, our focus will be on the intimate and often high-stakes emotional moments that no-one else will capture as the spotlight of the world falls on this pioneering endeavor, which will include the first woman stepping onto the lunar surface. We are thrilled to be working with NASA and National Geographic to bring this epic story to a global audience.”

Jerry Rothwell added: “I hope that by following the journey of the first woman to step on the moon, more than 50 years after the first Apollo landing, this series will inspire a new generation of young people to dream without limits. We’re excited for the Artemis Generation.”