Nasa+: space agency to launch its own streaming site later this year

Nasa will be launching its own streaming service later this year, the US space agency has announced. 

The platform will be called Nasa+ and will live stream Nasa missions, as well as feature original video series and new shows. 

The platform will be ad-free and at no cost so everyone can have access to "a new world of content from the space agency."

When will it be released?

The space agency says the service will be launching later this summer. 

Some of the included titles with the platform are: Nasa Talks, Space Out, The Color of Space, Nasa Kids, Nasa Explorers, Webb Space Telescope, First Light, Nasa En Español, Lucy, Mars Is Hard, Nasa Explorers: Osiris Rex and Artemis I: Path to the Pad.

It will be on streaming media players including Apple TV, Fire TV and Roku, as well as on the iOS and Android Nasa app and on desktop. 

The trailer for the platform can be viewed below: 

There is a beta version of the site which can be tried on its site, and Nasa is encouraging people to visit and submit feedback. 

What has been said about the site?

Currently, Nasa uses NasaTV for video content and launch streams. It runs a 24/7 pack of content on the Nasa site as well as YouTube. By launching its own streaming service, Nasa is creating a dedicated space for viewers to access its content. 

Marc Etkind, Nasa’s associate administrator of communications, in a statement, said: "We’re putting space on demand and at your fingertips with Nasa’s new streaming platform. 

“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.”

Jeff Seaton, chief information officer at the agency’s headquarters in Washington said the idea behind the site is to provide a unified Nasa web experience. He said: "Nasa's legacy footprint presents an opportunity to dramatically improve the user experience for the public we serve. Modernizing our main websites from a technology standpoint and streamlining how the public engages with our content online are critical first steps in making our agency’s information more accessible, discoverable, and secure.”

Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, Nasa headquarters said: “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+ videos, showcases our discovery programs in an interdisciplinary and crosscutting way, ultimately building stronger connections with our visitors and viewers."