Update: Space Explorers: The Infinite is slated to run at Sawyer Yards through January 12.

Two years after a groundbreaking virtual reality experience made its U.S. debut in Houston, it’s back with new footage immersing visitors in a spacewalk and other scenes onboard and around the International Space Station.

Space Explorers: The Infinite is the brainchild of Montreal-based Felix & Paul Studios, the creative firm responsible for capturing the incredible footage that is the heart of the show. Produced in partnership with PHI Studio and through a one-of-a-kind collaboration with NASA, The Infinite allows patrons to explore the corridors and capsules of the Space Station as well as the exterior of the massive vehicle circling 250 miles above Earth. Using VR technology, the entire complex is recreated in 3D at scale within a 12,000-square-foot space at Sawyer Yards.

Felix Lajeunesse, the creative director of Felix & Paul Studios, says after many years in the making and now several years touring, The Infinite has given rise to a new kind of virtual reality experience that is both individual and collective.

The studio began working with NASA back in 2016, but it took years of tech development and trial and error before cameras could actually be sent to the Space Station. Intravehicular 360 cameras were used to capture astronaut life onboard, including vignettes showing specific activities such as enjoying a meal or preparing for an experiment. Meanwhile, more complex extravehicular cameras were developed and used to chronicle space walks as well as awe-inspiring view of Earth and the vastness of space. “You’re seeing it as the astronauts would and that’s a transformative experience,” says Lajeunesse. A tremendous amount of footage was captured over two and a half years and six expeditions.

After a soft launch in Montreal, The Infinite’s original show arrived in Houston in December 2021 to rave reviews; more than 75,000 experienced the show in its initial four-month run. The partners chose Houston for the obvious connections to NASA and Mission Control. Lajeunesse said while general audiences have been moved by the unique experience of being able to connect with astronauts and awe at the views, those who work at NASA and its many mission partners often have a more emotional experience. “A lot of these people have worked on the ISS [from the ground] for many years. But for the first time they could be up there on the ISS virtually, allowing them the opportunity to experience the scale of it,” he said. “For the astronauts themselves it felt like going back home. Then, being able to bring their families and have them share that experience—it’s moving.”

This time around, The Infinite features new footage not previously used, particularly around the exterior of the space station. Users can actually seamless walk "through" the walls of the station to the outside of the vehicle and see a 360-degree view of space. There's also a seated VR experience showcasing the intricacies of a spacewalk. 

Lajeunesse estimates the company had developed something like 45 virtual reality experiences before The Infinite—mostly individual experiences people could engage in through a headset at home. But this represented the birth of an entirely new format. “To be able to do this in a huge space of 12,000 square feet, allow visitors to free roam and tell a story at scale—this is a first of its kind for us and for the industry.” He says there’s a novel tension that exists in such a show that feels both individual and collective at the same time. “To create this, be able to tour it and allow crowds to experience it all at once, it’s been a revelation for us that this works, and we want to continue doing shows like this.”

The creative partnership will continue to chronicle the journey of spaceflight through NASA’s Artemis program, Lajeunesse says. At the same time, Felix & Paul will use the technology and knowhow it’s developed to create other large-scale VR experiences that will also tour.

“I’ve been doing VR for 10 years and the one thing I remain deeply convinced of is that there’s something very real in what we’re doing,” Lajeunesse says. “It’s the only format out there that allows this sense of presence that we have every day in the real world. It’s how we anchor audiences in a story. The scale, ambition and deployment of the experiences we’ve done has expanded exponentially and I believe it will become more and more of a mainstream medium, just like cinema is today.”

Details and tickets are available here. 

Written by A.J. Mistretta

Above photo credit: Melissa Taylor