A French filmmaker has launched a crowdfunding campaign on ulule to finance the creation of a documentary chronically the development of the Soviet N1 rocket.
Identified simply by his ulule handle, Techniques Spatiales (French for “space technology”) hopes to follow the development of the N1 rocket from conception to construction and its eventual failure. Unlike many other documentaries of its kind, he aims to include a detailed look at the technical aspects of both the design of the rocket and the colossal launch complex at Baikonur Cosmodrome.
“I really want to dive into the technical details more than any video before,” he explained in the campaign’s promotional video. “This will be based on technical documentation on the engines, the huge launch complex and the factories that built the different parts of the rocket.”
Most excitingly, Techniques Spatiales has, through intermediaries, tracked down never-seen-before archival footage of the rocket and images of the rocket’s subsystems. The footage and images will be used in combination with 3D animation created by BEAM Studios, a 3D modelling agency.
Techniques Spatiales launched his ulule crowdfunding campaign on March 2, 2019. It aimed to raise €5,000 ($5,600) in financing with an additional €12,500 ($14,100) having already been secured from the French Centre National du Cinéma. As of writing this, the campaign has already been funded several times over with total contributions of more than €43,000 ($49,000).
With funding seemingly secured, Techniques Spatiales has stated that he aims to premiere the documentary in mid-2020. Once complete, the documentary will be uploaded to YouTube for free.
Find out more about the Soviet N1 rocket: The Failure of the Soviet N1 Moon Rocket.
