Nasa to launch a free streaming service later this year

It will include coverage of future launches, documentaries and an exclusive original series

Nasa will launch a free, family-friendly streaming service later in the year. Photo: Nasa

Nasa is getting in on the streaming wars. Well, sort of.

The US space agency announced it is planning to launch a free streaming service later in the year called Nasa+. It will be ad-free and include coverage of future launches, documentaries and a new original series that will be exclusive to the platform.

“We’re putting space on demand and at your fingertips with Nasa’s new streaming platform,” said Marc Etkind, Nasa’s associate administrator of communications.

“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.”

The streaming service will have a home on the agency’s brand-new beta website, which will include future Nasa mission details, research, climate data and more.

"Our vision is to inspire humanity through a unified, world-class Nasa web experience," said Jeff Seaton, chief information officer at the agency’s headquarters in Washington.

"Nasa’s legacy footprint presents an opportunity to dramatically improve the user experience for the public we serve. Modernising 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.”

Once Nasa+ officially launches, it will be integrated into an upgraded Nasa app available on iOS and Android. The app will also be available on streaming platforms such as Apple TV.

First Emirati female astronaut

Last month it was reported Nora Al Matrooshi was set to graduate from a Nasa programme early next year, making her the UAE's first Emirati female astronaut.

She is joined by her colleague Mohammed Al Mulla, and the pair have been training at Nasa's Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas, since January last year.

Once they complete the programme, they will become eligible to join US-led missions to space. However, it is not clear if any space mission has been secured yet for the astronauts after they graduate.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, which oversees the country's astronaut programme, said they would send astronauts to space every three to five years.