This gripping documentary tells the enthralling and frequently incredible story behind the space race and the ruthless yet brilliant scientists who fuelled it. With the Cold War over, a generation of secrets has finally been revealed, bringing an historic opportunity to unmask the true heroes and villains behind the biggest race of mankind.

One of the greatest stories in human history, the Space Race began in the bloody throes of the Second World War and spanned through to the moon landings. Two superpowers were pitched against each other during the Cold War in the race to create the most powerful rocket and dominate the world.

It culminated in the 1969 ‘giant leap for mankind’. The most pioneering and high-risk experiments ever undertaken cost untold millions – and scores of lives – with horrific disasters and gruesome deaths. It is a story that plays out against a backdrop of communism and espionage. Buried within this multimillion- dollar battle between nations are the dramatic stories of the individuals whose passion fuelled it.

Human tragedies, triumphs and double-crossing; tales of extraordinary daring and treachery. At the heart of the story are acts of betrayal, rivalry and soaring ambition, fuelled by the ruthless competition between two recklessly daring scientific leaders: the charismatic ex-Nazi Wernher von Braun in the American team, and the enigmatic Soviet project leader, known mysteriously as ‘The Chief Designer’.

Each despised the ideology of the opposing team and was prepared to stop at nothing for the prestige of winning. In this energetic and engaging production, shot in a fast-paced, dramatic style, CGI enhances the sense of scale as achievements and events are depicted.

Previously unseen archive footage and innovative computer techniques place actors into the archive – as in the film Forrest Gump – to personalise space footage as never before and create a sense of immediacy. From the makers of Seven Wonders of the Industrial World, which was a phenomenal hit with UK audiences, praised for its scope and visual quality, Space Race promises to bring a thrilling and complex period of history and rivalry to the screen.