July 24, 2023—Cosm, a leading immersive technology, media, and entertainment company, today announced its partnership with Planetary Collective, the creators of award-winning space films Overview and Planetary, to release Orbital, a new space exploration “Shared Reality” experience driven by Cosm’s state-of-the-art CX System that seamlessly bridges the virtual and physical worlds. This production will additionally be distributed across Cosm’s global network of planetariums as part of its Fulldome Premium Media Program.

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Planetary Collective, a creative organization dedicated to worldview interruption through visually stunning and thought-provoking storytelling, earned critical acclaim for its short film Overview documenting astronauts’ life-changing stories of experiencing Earth from space. Planetary’s new immersive production, Orbital, a Cosm Studios Original, will be shown at Cosm’s new immersive entertainment venues; the first of which will open in Los Angeles in spring 2024 and will be the first venue of its kind to bring entertainment to life by utilizing Cosm’s revolutionary domed and compound curved LED technology.

Narrated by veteran NASA Astronauts Ron Garan and Nicole Stott, Orbital is a shared meditative experience that takes audiences on a journey into space to encounter the profound beauty, inner workings, and mysteries of Earth to inspire a greater appreciation for our shared, living planet. In cooperation with a host of additional astronauts and cosmonauts, the immersive narrative taps into their collective experiences of experiencing Earth from space, resulting in a cognitive shift in perspectives and an elevated emotional connection with the planet, a concept known as ‘The Overview Effect’, coined by Space Philosopher Frank White. Transporting audiences to space through dynamic visual and narrative mechanisms, Orbital offers a unique perspective on the beauty of life on Earth embedded within the living cosmos.

“Cosm sparks a feeling of immersion the world has never experienced before and provides us with an entirely new avenue for delivering impactful and meaningful narratives due to its strikingly unique spaciousness and revolutionary LED canvas,” said Guy Reid, director at Planetary Collective. “Launching Orbital at Cosm venues will give audiences the opportunity to build a new relationship with Earth in an immersive environment that inspires introspection, meditation, exploration, and connection on an unprecedented scale. We truly believe this partnership will allow us to transform the way people see the world and raise awareness about the importance of Planetary identity.”

“We’re thrilled to partner with Guy Reid and the team at Planetary Collective to deliver the impactful story of ‘The Overview Effect’ and enable audiences to experience and feel the same awe, wonder, and connection to our planet that astronauts have,” said Neil Carty, VP, Head of Cosm Studios and Labs at Cosm. “Planetary’s previous films and overall body of work, which contains exclusive and extensive interviews with astronauts, will help us create a one-of-a-kind film which reflects Cosm’s long legacy and commitment to bringing science and space education to life in entirely new, immersive, and captivating formats.”

“I have long believed that appropriately designed and targeted social enterprise can be a conduit for solving many of the world’s problems, and this partnership between Cosm and Planetary will deliver a captivating and potentially life-changing experience that proves that point,” added Ron Garan, veteran NASA astronaut and co-narrator for Orbital. “I left space with a call to action to share a powerful perspective that is the missing link to solve our civilization’s shared problems and challenges. It has been a pleasure to provide a glimpse into that perspective in this immersive experience at Cosm. It is my hope that this effort will help drive positive social and ecological action here on Earth for the benefit of all.”

“Experiencing the awe and wonder of our planetary home from the extraordinary vantage point of a spaceship is life changing. At a human level, in all the complexity of spaceflight, the simple lessons we learn from spaceflight are the most compelling to me – we live on a planet, we are all Earthlings, and the only border that matters is that veil thin blue line of atmosphere that blankets and protects us all,” explained Nicole Stott, veteran NASA astronaut and co-narrator for Orbital. “The opportunity for audiences to immerse themselves in the Orbital experience that will be available at Cosm venues will bring the ‘planet, Earthlings, and thin blue line’ lessons and ‘The Overview Effect’ to life — and will do so in a way that encourages us all to take action and accept our role as crewmates (not passengers) here on Spaceship Earth.”

Cosm’s new generation of venues will bring entertainment to life by utilizing its revolutionary domed and compound curved LED technology, creating larger-than-life ”Shared Reality” experiences that bridge the virtual and physical worlds, all with corresponding sights and sounds. Merging the energy of the crowd, elevated food and beverage service, and state-of-the-art visuals, fans will be able to experience the largely unreachable awe and wonder of spaceflight from a unique and unifying perspective.

Cosm has officially broken ground at both its first venue in Los Angeles at Hollywood Park, adjacent to SoFi Stadium and Intuit Dome, and at its second venue in Dallas at Grandscape, with plans to expand to additional locations in key markets.

Source: Cosm