Space Explorers: The International Space Station Experience has finally made its European debut in Camden, and after months of hearing about its global success I could not wait to take my family along. It is, quite simply, the most immersive virtual reality adventure I have ever tried. From the moment I pulled on the lightweight headset, the basement venue dissolved and I was no longer standing on Camden High Street. I was floating 250 miles above Earth aboard the International Space Station, and the view was genuinely breathtaking.
What sets this attraction apart is the way it marries astonishingly advanced VR technology with real, high resolution footage captured during actual NASA missions. The production team used custom engineered camera systems designed to operate both inside and outside the station, and the result is extraordinary. You are not watching a computer generated approximation of space. You are walking through filmed reality, layered seamlessly onto a painstakingly detailed 3D model of the ISS. The effect is so convincing that you instinctively find yourself ducking through hatches and stepping carefully over equipment, even though your rational brain knows the floor is entirely clear.
One of the richest details is how much you learn about daily life in orbit. I drifted through the crew quarters, peeked inside the galley where astronauts prepare their meals, and watched them demonstrate how they exercise on specially designed treadmills and resistance machines. The experience does not just show you the station; it lets you witness the tiny, fascinating routines that make long duration spaceflight possible. My eighteen year old was especially tickled by the footage of an astronaut demonstrating how to brush your teeth when water floats away in spheres, and I found myself deeply absorbed in a segment showing the painstaking scientific experiments running inside the laboratory module.
The spacewalk footage was, for me, the emotional heart of the whole journey. You stand at the threshold of the airlock and then you are outside, with nothing but a visor between you and the infinite blackness. Watching real astronauts work on the station’s exterior while the glowing, swirling surface of Earth rolls silently beneath them stirred the kind of quiet awe that is very hard to put into words. Several members of our group, adults included, simply stood still and stared. That moment beautifully captures what astronauts describe as the “overview effect”, the profound shift in perspective that comes from seeing our planet hanging in the void, fragile and borderless. It was surprisingly moving, and I noticed more than one person wiping their eyes beneath their headset.
The free roaming format is the feature that elevates everything. This is not a ride where you sit strapped into a chair while the world moves around you. You physically walk, turn corners, step towards objects that interest you, and explore alongside your group. Each person appears as an avatar, a floating, slightly comical space suited figure that somehow makes the shared experience even more joyful. Watching my daughter bob past a control panel and wave at me, or seeing my friend attempt a slow motion space somersault across the Harmony module, had us all laughing together in a way that felt wonderfully surreal. It really is like sharing the same strange and beautiful dream.
We were a mixed age group ranging from eight to well over forty, and every single one of us came out buzzing. The minimum age is eight, and I would say that is about right; younger children might find the headset a little heavy and the quiet intensity of some moments unsettling, but for curious primary schoolers and teenagers it is absolute gold. The staff were warm and reassuring, talking us through a brief orientation before we entered and making sure everyone felt comfortable with the equipment. There are lockers for your bags, the whole space feels calm and well organised, and the 35 minute runtime felt perfectly judged, long enough to become completely absorbed but short enough to leave you wanting more.
The scale of what has been achieved here is staggering. Fewer than 300 human beings have ever actually visited the International Space Station. This experience, adapted from the Emmy Award winning series Space Explorers and already enjoyed by more than 500,000 visitors in cities from Montreal to Shanghai, is the closest most of us will ever get. It is a residency rather than a permanent fixture, running for a limited time from 19th June, and I would strongly urge families to book sooner rather than later. Camden High Street is wonderfully easy to reach, and we made a whole afternoon of it by combining the experience with a stroll along the canal and a bite to eat in the market afterwards.
The Essentials
Space Explorers: The ISS Experience is at Eclipso London, Basement Floor, 213-219 Camden High Street, NW1 8QR. It is open every day from 11am to 8pm, and the whole visit runs to approximately 35 minutes. Tickets cost £34 for adults and £25 for children aged eight and over. A family pack for two adults and two children comes in at £101, and a group bundle for four or more people is £125. Booking online ahead of your visit is strongly recommended.
Whether you are space obsessed or simply hunting for a family day out that genuinely brings everyone together in wonder, this is a rare and transporting treat. We left with full hearts, spinning heads, and two children who are now utterly determined to become astronauts. For a basement in Camden, that is quite something.
I am a mother of two teenagers and a London Mums magazine’s contributor. I review attractions, movies, restaurants, toys. In my profile picture, I am together with my partner in crime and London Mums’ editor Monica Costa.
