Watch The New Frontier online for free

Watch Now

Episode 01 - Astronauts

25 Min 32 Sec

One hundred kilometres above the Earth’s surface lies an invisible frontier: the edge of space. This is the Karman Line, the boundary between our planet’s atmosphere and what lies beyond. What does it take to cross that line?

Watch Now

Episode 02 - Getting Up There

25 Min 33 Sec

Launching payloads into space is a very difficult task, historically rocket launches are the proverbial 'swords into ploughshares' Missiles designed to carry atomic warheads now send satellites and probes into the solar system. Ironically it's one of the few exploits Mankind undertakes that doesn't occur in nature.

Watch Now

Episode 03 - Orbit

25 Min 32 Sec

The International Space Station is undoubtedly the jewel in the crown of low Earth orbit; observation post, research lab and class room. Equally however there are many other assets orbiting Earth that are even more important to our everyday lives; delivering communications, weather observation, global positioning and resource management the list is growing with every year.

Watch Now

Episode 04 - Shore to Shore

24 Min 12 Sec

Our seafaring nature has translated well to the space age, seeking to sail out into the unknown in search of riches of one kind or another. While Europe and Asia continue their interest in the resource rich Moon, The United States and NASA have set their sights on nothing less than manned missions to Mars. Can they manage to go shore to shore on the most dangerous of unknown seas, deep space.

Watch Now

Episode 05 - Mars: Adapt or Leave

24 Min 05 Sec

As the latest successes and failures come and go Mars continues to give up her secrets. Invisible clouds are revealed with ultraviolet light and the search for the source of methane continues with ExoMars. As we prepare to land humans on the red planet, getting there is one thing; staying long term is another, can we really conquor this planet?

Watch Now

Episode 06 - Emissaries

24 Min 01 Sec

Our solar system is vast, from our own star the Sun to Earth is nearly 150 million kilometers or 1 Astronomical Unit. Jupiter is 5.2 AU distant and Pluto up to 48AU, the solar system extends far beyond this into interstellar space. We humans cannot yet travel that sort of distance, however w e can and do send our robots and probes in our place; and the results are astounding.

Watch Now

Episode 07 - Danger Asteroids Ahead

25 Min 39 Sec

The question often rises is the cost of space exploration really worth it? Could the money be better spent elsewhere. If so one space program would have to remain. The planetary defence program, to locate identify and deflect a wayward asteroid from hitting Earth and destroying our civilzation because at last count there were 15,000 possible dangerous candidates close to Earth.

Watch Now

Episode 08 - First Light

24 Min 01 Sec

For an instrument first developed as recently as the 17th century, the telescope has travelled a long way. The latest version of the once-humble telescope will be going a lot farther – carrying us ever closer to the first light that ever bathed the Universe in which we live.

Watch Now

Episode 09 - Stars Above

24 Min 28 Sec

Stars are a bit like human beings. They can be warm or cold, they come in all kinds of shapes and sizes... and, let’s face it, they can be dim or bright. And recent discoveries suggest that the number of stars in our galaxy alone, the Milky Way, may exceed 200 billion. Just what are these citizens of the night sky?

Watch Now

Episode 10 - The Dark Side

24 Min 05 Sec

Perhaps that American politician was right. There are indeed things we know we don’t know. For instance, cosmologically speaking, we know we don’t know much – and certainly not nearly enough – about two of the enduring mysteries of the Universe. Dark Matter and Dark Energy, it’s little wonder that scientists are devoting so much grey matter and energy of their own to finding out as much as they can.