t’s hard to believe that before 2023, NASA – the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration, if you’re not familiar – didn’t have a dedicated streaming platform. For over half a century, it has been documenting its work through still photographs, video recordings and audio streams, with one-liners that have made it into mainstream vernacular (think: ‘Houston, we have a problem’, and ‘That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’.) A few years ago, NASA watched as the world turned to streaming. “That’s how people consume; we wanted to join the modern times,” states Rebecca Sirmons, general manager at NASA+, the government- funded organisation’s free streaming platform. “We undertook a multi- pronged launch,” she says, with the first major event being a live stream of the 2024 total solar eclipse. Right off the bat, the team won an Emmy (and a Webby!), marking a new chapter for NASA – one where education meets live entertainment. An international audience NASA isn’t short on content; you could spend days in its public photo, audio and video library ( images.nasa. gov ). Where NASA has struggled, historically, is live content. Streaming from space isn’t simple. In the early days (before digital workflows existed), NASA’s videos were shot on film, and it wasn’t until that film was developed that it could be broadcast. “Just last year, we showed our first live landing of astronauts in the water,” recalls Lee Erickson, lead streaming engineer at NASA+. “You saw the parachute open. You saw it splash down – that was all live. That’s the first time we ever did that.” NASA has, as keen followers will know, been streaming video from the International Space Station (ISS) for some time. “You can go on YouTube,
click on a link and watch a live feed,” says Erickson. The stream – usually an image of the Earth from above – regularly receives millions of viewers every day and is available online and via the ISS Live Now app. “We are a global phenomenon – it’s not just in the United States. There are people from all over the globe who want to watch our stuff.” Sirmons expects the next lunar landing, currently scheduled for early 2028 (Artemis IV), to be the world’s largest livestreaming event to date. “We’re looking at around 250 million, and it might be more,” shares Sirmons. “For us, it’s about laying the track, working with partners and making sure that we’re solid.” The Artemis II mission, scheduled for April 2026, will also be streamed on NASA+ and Sirmons expects an audience of 25 million. In its lead-up, viewers can watch Moonbound , a two-part series which details the mental and physical preparations involved in a lunar mission. “It’s the biggest hit we’ve had thus far,” says Sirmons. “Our premium docs give people something that only NASA can give them, and that is 100% accuracy and truth. You’re behind the curtain.” Other successful projects include Space Out , an immersive viewing experience that’s perfect to throw on in the background; Far Out , a kids’ programme that ‘does exceptionally well’, according to Sirmons; and Planetary Defenders , a portion of which showed at last year’s Sundance Film Festival. “Anytime we turn on the live spigot,” adds Erickson (they pre- schedule live events too), “there’s an instant million to two million people waiting. That’s where we start. It doesn’t matter what it is; it’s NASA. They’re tuned in.” Mastering the moonwalk When running a live stream through space, there’s a lot to consider –
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