List of films featuring space stations

There is a body of films that feature space stations. Science fiction films are the most popular genre to have featured both real-life space stations such as the International Space Station and Mir as well as fictional ones such as the Death Star and the Satellite of Love.

The International Space Station has been featured in several films, including Challenge, Yolki 5, Gravity, The Day After Tomorrow, Love, A Beautiful Planet and Space Station 3D.

List of films

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Non-documentary films involving direct use of a real space station as a plot

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Film Release year Space station Spacecraft transporting the crew Spacecraft transporting the filming equipment Cast aboard the space station during production Time aboard on space station during production Time shot on space station during production Reference
Return from Orbit 1984 Salyut 7 Soyuz T-9 Soyuz T-9 27 June - 23 November 1983 (149 days, 10 hours, 45 minutes) Unknown [1]
Apogee of Fear
2012 International Space Station Soyuz TMA-13/TMA-12/STS-124 Soyuz TMA-13/TMA-12
14 - 24 October 2008
(11 days, 20 hours, 35 minutes)
8 minutes [2]
Yolki 5 2016 International Space Station Soyuz TMA-16M/TMA-18M Soyuz TMA-16M/TMA-18M/Soyuz MS-02 Mikhail Kornienko (Astronaut) 27 June - 23 November 1983 (340 days, 10 hours, 45 minutes) 3-4 minutes [3][4]
Soyuz MS-02 Soyuz MS-02 Andrey Borisenko (Astronaut) 21 October 2016 - 10 April 2017
The Challenge (Vyzov)
2023 International Space Station Soyuz MS-19/18 Progress MS-17/Soyuz MS-18
5 - 17 October 2021
(11 days, 12 hours, 52 minutes)
35-40 minutes [5]

Films involving indirect use of a real space station or partially fictionalized[A] space station as a plot

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Film Year Space station Notes Ref.
Armageddon 1998 Mir [6]
A Beautiful Planet 2016 International Space Station [7]
Contact 1997 Mir [6]
The Day After Tomorrow 2004 International Space Station [8]
Gravity 2013 International Space Station and Tiangong-1 [9]
I.S.S. 2024 International Space Station [10]
Life 2017 International Space Station Heavily modified to include additional pressurized modules [11]
Love 2011 International Space Station [12]
Marooned 1969 S-IVB Orbital Workshop Similar to wet workshop designs considered for Skylab. [13]
Mission to Mars 2000 World Space Station Appears to be the International Space Station modified to accommodate an Artificial gravity ring. [14]
Mission to Mir 1997 Mir [15]
Out of the Present 1995 Mir [16]
Rampage 2018 Appears to be the International Space Station with additional inflatable segments, akin to the B330 from Bigelow Aerospace, along with many cancelled ISS modules. However it remains unnamed in the movie. [17]
Salyut-7 2017 Salyut 7 [18]
Searching for Skylab 2019 Skylab [19]
Space Explorers: The ISS Experience 2020 International Space Station [20]
Space Station 3D 2002 International Space Station [21]
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets 2017 Alpha (former International Space Station) Incredibly modified, to the point of near nonrecognition. The structure of the modern ISS is only briefly seen in the opening montage. [22]

Films involving use of a fully fictionalized space station as a plot

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Film Year Space station Ref.
51 Degrees North 2015 [23]
2001: A Space Odyssey 1968 Space Station V [6]
3022 2019 [24]
Ad Astra 2019 Norwegian biomedical research space station [25]
Aliens 1986 Gateway Station [26]
Android 1982 Terraport Station ULC-53 [27]
Arena 1989 [28]
Assignment: Outer Space 1960 Zulu Extra 34 [29][30]
Cargo 2009 Station 42 [31]
The Cloverfield Paradox 2018 Cloverfield Station [32]
Conquest of Space 1955 The Wheel [26]
The Creator 2023 U.S.S. NOMAD [33]
Dante 01 2008 Dante 01 [34]
Dark City 1998 The City [35]
Earth II 1971 Earth II [36]
Elysium 2013 Elysium [37]
Ender's Game 2013 Battle School [38]
Enemy Mine 1985 [39]
Event Horizon 1997 Daylight Space Station [40]
Fortress 2: Re-Entry 2000 [41]
Geostorm 2017 International Climate Space Station [42]
The Green Slime 1968 Gamma 3 [36]
Hellraiser: Bloodline 1996 Minos [43]
Interstellar 2014 Cooper Station [44]
Io 2019 [45]
Jason X 2002 Solaris research space station [46]
Lockout 2012 MS One [47]
Macross: Do You Remember Love? 1984 SDF-1 [48]
Moonraker 1979 [6]
Moonfall 2022 Unnamed SpaceX refueling station [49]
Mutiny in Outer Space 1965 [36]
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie 1996 Satellite of Love [38]
The Noah's Ark Principle 1984 Florida Arklab [50]
Oblivion 2013 The Tet [51]
Planet of the Apes 2001 Oberon [52]
Project Moonbase 1953 [53]
Queen of Outer Space 1958 [54]
Red Planet 2000 High Orbit Space Station / Mars-1 [35][55]
Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles 2006 Space Station Liberty [56]
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 2016 Death Star [57]
Solaris 1972 Solaris Station [58]
Solaris 2002 Prometheus Station [58]
Space Buddies 2009 Russian Research Space Station (R.R.S.S) [59]
SpaceCamp 1986 Daedalus [38]
Space Station 76 2014 Omega 76 Space Station [60]
Star Crystal 1986 [61]
Star Trek Beyond 2016 Yorktown [62]
Star Trek: The Motion Picture 1979 Orbital office complex [63]
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 1982 Regula I [63]
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock 1984 Earth Spacedock [63]
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home 1986 Earth Spacedock [63]
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier 1989 Earth Spacedock [63]
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country 1991 Earth Spacedock [63]
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace 1999 Droid Control Ship [64]
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith 2005 Death Star [6]
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope 1977 Death Star [6]
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi 1983 Death Star II [6]
Starship Troopers 1997 Ticonderoga [65]
Starship Troopers: Invasion 2012 Fort Casey [66]
Stowaway 2021 [67]
Thunderbirds 2004 Thunderbird 5 [68]
Thunderbird 6 1968 Thunderbird 5 [68]
Tik Tik Tik 2018 [69]
Titan A.E. 2000 Salvage Station TAU 14
New Bangkok
[70]
The Wandering Earth 2019 [71]
War of the Planets 1966 [54]
Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century 1999 [72]
Zenon: The Zequel 2001 [72]
Zenon: Z3 2004 [73]

Notes

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A.^ Partially fictionalized meaning either directly based on a heavily studied real concept/station (e.g. the S-IVB Orbital Workshop in Marooned), or an extension of an existing modern station (e.g. the World Space Station in Mission to Mars being an extension of the International Space Station.)

See also

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The following films also include spacecraft that have also been called space stations by outside sources:

References

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Bibliography

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  • Westfahl, Gary (2009). Islands in the Sky: The Space Station Theme in Science Fiction Literature. Borgo Press. ISBN 978-1-4344-0356-8.
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