 NASA TV logo used from 1980 to 2024. | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa[1](television) Worldwide(online) |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 4K (UHDTV) 720p (HDTV) 480i (SDTV) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | NASA |
| History | |
| Launched | 1980 |
| Closed | August 28, 2024 (2024-08-28) |
| Former names | NASA Select |
| Links | |
| Website | NASA TV |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Ustream | |
| YouTube | Live streams playlist |
NASA TV (originallyNASA Select) was thetelevision service of theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It was broadcast bysatellite with asimulcast over theInternet. Localcable television providers across the United States andamateur televisionrepeaters carried NASA TV at their own discretion, as NASA-created content is considered a work of the U.S. government and is within thepublic domain. NASA TV was also available via various cable, satellite, andover-the-top media services worldwide. The network was formally created in the early 1980s to provide NASA managers and engineers with real-time video of missions.[2][3] NASA has operated a television service since the beginning of the space program for archival purposes, and to provide media outlets with video footage.[4]
The network aired a large amount of educational programming and provides live coverage of an array of crewed missions (including theInternational Space Station), robotic missions, and domestic and international launches. The network completed its conversion fromanalog todigital transmission in late 2005 following the launch ofSTS-114, ending a period of dual analog and digital broadcasting. However, some cable television systems may still have transmitted in analog before the U.S.digital television transition. The satellite link used theDVB-S system for transmission.
On July 29, 2024,NASA announced that it would phase out NASA TV in favor ofNASA+ due to an increase of viewership on its digital platforms. The linear feeds closed on August 28 of that year, at 11 PM Eastern Daylight Time.[5][6]
At the time of closure, NASA TV operated three channels. The "Public Channel" provided 24-hour broadcasting of live and recorded events anddocumentaries aimed toward the general public, as well as space and science programming forschools,museums, and other educational institutions. The "Media Channel" was dedicated to broadcast news organizations and other members of the press, featuring press release video, interviews, mission press conferences and other services. The final was "NASA TV UHD", an experimentalultra-high-definition television channel created through aSpace Act Agreement withHarmonic Inc., featuring content from NASA's archives that takes advantage of the large format, with a musical audio track.[7][8] Ahigh definition simulcast feed of the "Public Channel" was launched on July 19, 2010.[9] The "Education Channel" was discontinued in 2016, with its programming merged into the main Public Channel. The NASA TV website also provides a channel featuring continuous live footage from inside and outside the ISS, established to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the station in orbit; this feed continues on NASA+.[10]
While NASA distributed NASA TV in high definition, some redistributors, such asDish Network andDirecTV, downconverted to standard definition before delivering to their customers.[11][12]
NASA TV carried various regularly scheduled, pre-recorded educational and public relations programming 24 hours a day on its various channels. Programs includedNASA Gallery, which featured photographs and video from NASA's history;Video File, which broadcastb-roll footage for news and media outlets;Education File, which provided special programming for schools;This Week @ NASA, which showed news from NASA centers around the country; andNASA Edge andNASA 360, hosted programs that focused on various projects and activities within NASA. Live ISS coverage and related commentary was aired in hour-long segments throughout the day.[13]
The network also provided an array of live programming, such as ISS events (spacewalks, media interviews, educational broadcasts), press conferences and rocket launches. These often included running commentary by members of the NASA Public Affairs Office who serve as the "voice of Mission Control", including Rob Navias, Nicole Cloutier, Brandi Dean, and formerly, Josh Byerly and the retiredGeorge Diller.
Before 2007, theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) prohibited NASA TV from being aired by local satellite and cable providers within Canada, except for specific broadcast events. Under existing CRTC rules, a cable or satellite provider had to offer a minimum amount ofCanadian content from domestic Canadian companies, and the only involvement the equivalentCanadian Space Agency had with space missions involved shared American space shuttle missions at the time, along with theCanadarms. Additionally, CRTC stated in September 2000 that there simply was not enough room left under the analog televisionfrequency allocation plan, and standards for dealing with foreigndigital television signals had not been finalized.[14] On April 20, 2007, the Commission issued a notice stating that after receiving an initial request fromMountain Cablevision and support from other Canadian broadcasters and members of the public, NASA TV had been added to thelist of foreign television channels available in Canada.[15]
NASA has used external companies to provide streaming services for online viewers, both embedded into NASA's website and through streams branded by those companies. The variety of stream formats used have varied with the available technology and with the popularity of formats, includingRealMedia,QuickTime,Windows Media,Flash Video andH.264.
In July 2005, NASA entered into an agreement withYahoo! andAkamai Technologies to provide streaming services for NASA TV ahead of theSTS-114 mission and associated Return to Flight program after theSpace ShuttleColumbia disaster.[16] As of 2011[update], NASA has entered agreements withUstream to provide high definition streaming of NASA TV and high definition cameras aboard the International Space Station, along with mission audio. Archives of press conferences,NASA Social events, and other events are also made available via UStream.[17] Other NASA TV programs and events are archived via the NASA TVYouTube channel.
In July 2023, NASA announced that it would form a new streaming platform known as NASA+, accessible via the agency's mobile apps and apps fordigital media player platforms such asApple TV andRoku.[18]
As NASA TV is a service of thefederal government of the United States, its programming is considered in thepublic domain for any organization or person to use as they see fit; for instance thepaid programming network LifehacksDRTV andWMGM-TV uses NASA TV's educational blocks to fulfill theirFCCE/I requirements for their individual station or network affiliates. A list of known rebroadcasters is available on the websiteRabbitEars.[19]
In 2009, NASA TV received twoEmmy Awards. On January 24, the Midsouth Chapter of theAcademy of Television Arts & Sciences awarded NASA TV and theMarshall Space Flight Center with the Governor's Award for Lifetime Achievement in recognition of NASA's 50th anniversary.[20] On August 22, NASA TV was awarded a nationalPrimetime Emmy Award, thePhilo T. Farnsworth Award, for engineering excellence in recognition of the 40th anniversary ofApollo 11's first television broadcast from the surface of the Moon.[4][21]
In July 2023, NASA announced NASA+, a streaming service that runs content similar to NASA TV. NASA TV ran parallel to NASA+ until July 29, 2024, when NASA announced NASA TV would cease operations on August 28. On August 26, 2024, NASA TV's final schedule was released, with the linear channel's final program scheduled to be "Artemis I: The Documentary".[5][6]
Effective 11 p.m. EDT, Aug. 28, 2024 (0300 Aug. 29 UTC), NASA will no longer broadcast programming over satellite.
