NASA says it is launching a standalone video streaming service as part of a broader refresh of its website and digital presence.
The service, called NASA Plus, will offer live broadcasts of major NASA events like rocket launches and press conferences along with original programming aimed at science-curious audiences.
“We’re putting space on demand and at your fingertips with NASA’s new streaming platform,” Mark Etkind, the associate administrator at NASA’s Office of Communications, said on Friday. “Transforming our digital presence will help us better tell the stories of how NASA explores the unknown in air and space, inspires through discovery, and innovates for the benefit of humanity.”
NASA Plus will launch on most major streaming platforms, including Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV (an app for Android TV and Google TV-powered devices is in the works), as well as on most popular Apple and Android smartphones and tablets. The service can also be accessed through the NASA website.
NASA Plus will be advertisement-free and available with no subscription required.
As part of NASA Plus, the space and science agency is gearing up a slate of new original programming that will live exclusively on its streaming platform, though specific titles were not immediately available.
“From exoplanet research to better understanding Earth’s climate and the influence of the Sun on our planet along with exploration of the solar system, our new science and flagship websites, as well as forthcoming NASA Plus videos, showcases our discovery programs in an interdisciplinary and crosscutting way, ultimately building stronger connections with our visitors and viewers,” said Nicky Fox, the associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.
For years, NASA has offered a streaming variant of its free-to-air satellite channel called NASA Television. Broadcasts and video content produced for NASA TV are generally considered to be in the public domain, though the channel has also offered copyrighted simulcasts from SpaceX and other private companies over the last few years.
NASA is expected to continue offering its free NASA TV simulcast over third-party streaming platforms like YouTube and Facebook when NASA Plus becomes available. The NASA Plus app will launch later this year, with no specific date provided.
A public test version of NASA’s new digital platform is available at https://beta.nasa.gov.
