At a cost of $2.5billion, NASA’s radiation-proof Curiosity Rover is one of the most complex robots ever built. Equipped with a high-tech system of lasers and cameras and with its own built-in weather station, the machine’s main objective is to assess whether Mars is or ever has been capable of supporting life. But how was its technology developed and who gave the go-ahead to launch it onto the Red Planet for 23 months of roaming, photography and sample collecting?

With rare inside access to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, this documentary traces NASA’s long struggle to get the Curiosity Rover off the drawing board. It reveals how ambitious plans clashed with huge financial shortfalls, and someof the mind-boggling technology associated with sending a craft the size of a car 354 million miles into space.

It's a compelling story of ambition in the face of almost overwhelming odds. Tune in to discover more.