A Million Miles Away movie: Amazon Prime release date of film about farmer turned astronaut José Hernández

A Million Miles Away is an uplifting biopic film about José Hernández, a migrant farm worker who trains to become an engineer and then an astronaut.

Hernández came from humble beginnings and pursued his dreams of going to space even in the face of seemingly endless opposition, having been repeatedly turned down for NASA’s astronaut programme.

The film about Hernández’s life, and based on the astronaut's memoir, is one of several big releases this week - A Haunting in Venice, El Conde, and Love at First Sight, will also be streaming or in cinemas, so film fans will have plenty of entertainment lined up.

This is everything you need to know about A Million Miles Away and the extraordinary true story that inspired it.

Who is in the cast of A Million Miles Away?

• Michael Peña as José
• Rosa Salazar as Adela
• Julio Cesar Cedillo as Salvador
• Veronica Falcón as Julia
• Juan Pablo Monterrubio as Young José
• Garret Dillahunt as Sturckow
• Sarayu Blue as Kalpana Chawla
• Bobby Soto as Beto
• Ashley Ciarra as Marisa
• Eric Johnson as Clint Logan
• Jordan Dean as Weissberg
• Michelle Krusiec as Miss Young
• Emma Fassler as Stacey

Is there a trailer for A Million Miles Away?

Yes there is, and you can watch it right here:

Is A Million Miles Away a true story?

A Million Miles Away is based on the life of the real José M. Hernández, the first Mexican American astronaut. It is based on his book, Reaching for the Stars: The Inspiring Story of a Migrant Farmworker Turned Astronaut.

José was born in California and grew up in the city of Stockton, though his parents are from Mexico and he also spent much of his childhood south of the border in La Piedad.

Hernández worked on the farms near his hometown but later gained a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of the Pacific and an M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara. 

His academic success led to him working at the Johnson Space Centre - he was turned down for astronaut training 11 times but was finally accepted in 2004. He was selected for a mission to the International Space Station that, when it launched in August 2009, made him the first migrant farm worker to go to space. In total, Hernández spent just under 14 full days in space over his career as an astronaut.

Now aged 61, Hernández serves as a Regent of the University of California. In 2011, he ran for a position in the House of Representatives as a Democrat but lost to his incumbent Republican rival.

He now lives in California with his wife Adela and their five children - the family own a vineyard where they bottle their own wine.  

When is the release date of A Million Miles Away?

A Million Miles Away will be released exclusively on Amazon Prime on Friday 15 September.