Released on September 16, Netflix’s Challenger: The Final Flight is a four-part docuseries that examines what led up to one of the greatest tragedies in the history of spaceflight. The docuseries has been well received by audiences and critics alike.
On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger lifted off from Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle carried five NASA astronauts, a payload specialist from a satellite manufacturer, and Christa McAuliffe, a social studies teacher from Boston who was chosen to be the first “normal person” to fly into space.
At first, the mission appeared to be going smoothly until the shuttle suddenly broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members aboard. The tragedy rocked the United States public and would ground the shuttle program for almost three years.
Read more: Remembering the Challenger Seven
Challenger: The Final Flight was directed by Daniel Junge and Steven Leckart. The series incorporates never-before-seen interviews and rare archival material offering an in-depth look at what led up to the disaster and the people it affected.
The docuseries has been largely well received by critics. It currently (as of 19/09) commands an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.1/10 on IMDb.
