NASA TV

NASA TV
NASA TV logo used from 1980 to 2024.
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaNorth America, Europe, Middle East, Africa[1] (television)
Worldwide (online)
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format4K (UHDTV)
720p (HDTV)
480i (SDTV)
Ownership
OwnerNASA
History
Launched1980
ClosedAugust 28, 2024 (2024-08-28)
Former namesNASA Select
Links
WebsiteNASA TV
Availability
Streaming media
Ustream
YouTubeLive streams playlist

NASA TV (originally NASA Select) was the television service of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It was broadcast by satellite with a simulcast over the Internet. Local cable television providers across the United States and amateur television repeaters carried NASA TV at their own discretion, as NASA-created content is considered a work of the U.S. government and is within the public domain. NASA TV was also available via various cable, satellite, and over-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 the International Space Station), robotic missions, and domestic and international launches. The network completed its conversion from analog to digital transmission in late 2005 following the launch of STS-114, ending a period of dual analog and digital broadcasting. However, some cable television systems may have had still have transmitted in analog before the U.S. digital television transition. The satellite link used the DVB-S system for transmission.

On July 29, 2024, NASA announced that it would phase out NASA TV in favor of NASA+ 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]

  1. ^ Ecuer, Marie-Sophie (April 12, 2018). "NASA TV HD and NASA TV UHD distributed on Eutelsat satellites" (Press release). Eutelsat. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  2. ^ McAuliffe, Tom Patrick (September 2007). "The Video Horizon". Digital Content Producer. Archived from the original on October 15, 2008. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference ndtv was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference nasapr090820 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "NASA TV Live - NASA". December 7, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2024. Effective 11 p.m. EDT, Aug. 28, 2024 (0300 Aug. 29 UTC), NASA will no longer broadcast programming over satellite.
  6. ^ "NASA TV schedule for the week of August 26, 2024" (PDF). NASA.gov. August 26, 2024.