ebecca Sirmons was admittedly shocked when Artemis II broke NASA’s streaming record. General manager at NASA+, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s streaming arm, she had initially expected around 25 million viewers to tune in between the Orion rocket launch on 1 April and the splashdown nine days later. The actual number reached nearly 150 million. The launch itself, which propelled a four-astronaut crew towards the Earth’s moon, quickly became the most-watched live event in NASA’s history, with a combined peak of 3.66 million and
23.9 million total views across the agency’s streaming services – including NASA+, YouTube, Twitch, external streamers and national broadcasters. The Spanish- language broadcast, NASA en Español, brought in an additional 2.8 million total views, highlighting the agency’s continued commitment to its founding mission: to reach the widest practicable audience. “We had three major live broadcasts, we had NASA+ and we had a 24/7 feed going on YouTube,” says Sirmons. “In today’s world, it’s ‘tune in, tune out’. This was live over ten days, and we saw growth.” After establishing partnerships with Netflix, Amazon Prime and Apple TV, NASA had requests from Peacock and HBO Max to add Artemis II streams to their platforms, too. “We want to meet the audience where they’re at,” Sirmons shares. “I feel like we did that and then some.” Testing, testing While the Artemis II mission could be considered an overwhelming success, it was part of a larger purpose: to get NASA’s astronauts back on the moon. Humans have docked there six times; the last lunar landing was in 1972, on Apollo 17, just three years after Neil Armstrong uttered the words: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Put simply, it’s been a while. Artemis II “was a test flight,” Sirmons confirms. The Orion saw its crew shoot past the moon – referred to as a lunar fly-by – before returning to Earth’s atmosphere. “The world was travelling with this amazing crew. They were right there with them. It was a human moment. That taught me a lot about the future and what we should provide and keep an eye out for. And we need to provide more.” NASA’s streaming strategy prioritised digital-first delivery, but traditional cable TV had a role to play, too. CNN, ABC News and Fox News ran continuous digital coverage alongside their televised broadcasts, which included multi-hour specials dedicated to the capsule’s Pacific splashdown, bringing the Artemis II mission to a close. In 2026, social media moments can make all the difference. NASA hosted continuous live streams on YouTube and Twitch, connecting with a global audience via the platforms’ interactive chat functionalities. Meanwhile, its TikTok and Instagram feeds were much more curated, used for highlights, live Q&As and astronaut-led content – like zero-gravity snacking sessions and aerial views
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