If watching rocket launches and other cosmic news is your thing, you now have a new way to keep up with everything NASA.
The U.S. space agency announced that its streaming service, NASA+, now has its own channel available on Amazon’s Prime Video platform.
And the best part? It’s still free.
The channel, which launched Tuesday, May 6, on Prime, is another way space enthusiasts can watch a variety of NASA programming – from rocket launches to original documentaries.
What is NASA+? What happened to NASA TV?
Not that long ago, NASA ceased broadcasting programming via satellite for NASA TV, which was a widely available channel under most cable packages and live streaming services.
Instead, the space agency replaced NASA TV with NASA+, a free platform to stream all of the same content. Think of Disney+ or Apple TV+ as examples.
Content through NASA+ is available to watch on desktop both from its official site and YouTube. The platform is also available to download as a mobile app on smartphones.
How to watch NASA coverage on Prime Video
Now, all of the same NASA+ content is also available to those who have Prime Video downloaded on any of their devices – whether it be a smartphone or smart TV.
The content, which does not require a Prime subscription to view, is one of Prime Video’s FAST channels (free ad-supported television). Viewers can find it under Prime’s Live TV section at the top of the screen when they open the app.
“Streaming NASA+ on multiple platforms allows the agency to more efficiently share its missions, from launching astronauts to the International Space Station, to going behind the scenes with the team that defends Earth against asteroids, to showcasing new, high-definition images of the cosmos,” said Wes Brown, acting associate administrator for the Office of Communications at NASA, said in a statement.
When is the next major NASA rocket launch?
NASA+ is the go-to for those interested in watching live coverage of the agency’s spaceflight missions, including rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Vandenberg, California, or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and astronauts returning to Earth from the International Space Station.
The next major crewed mission on the schedule is the launch of Axiom Mission 4, which could get off the ground as soon as May 29, 2025. Former astronaut Peggy Whitson will lead a crew of three other international astronauts on the private venture to the space station, where they are due to spend 14 days conducting scientific research.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch will lift off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Live coverage information has not yet been released.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: NASA coverage on Amazon Prime: What it means for watching rocket launches from Florida, California
Reporting by Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
