NASA has sent astronaturs to the moon, flown through hurricanes, fetched asteroid debris, and launched a program to clean up space trash. Its next mission? Streaming on Netflix.
On June 30, NASA announced that live programming from its in-home streaming service, NASA+, will be available on Netflix via a new partnership starting this summer. The move marks the most recent play in a years-long effort on NASA’s part to build out its media presence by switching from traditional cable to streaming.
For Netflix, the news comes as the world’s largest video streaming service has continued to solidify its global dominance: In April, Netflix reported first quarter earnings of $2.9 billion, a 24% year-over-year increase. The streamer’s stock is currently up nearly 45% since the beginning of 2025. For NASA, the news comes as the agency is being hit by serious budget and job cuts by the Trump administration, as well as uncertainty over its new leader.
Here’s everything to know about NASA’s upcoming Netflix debut:
What is NASA+?
NASA+ was founded in 2023 as an ad-free, no cost streaming service, available online and via NASA’s app, featuring live mission coverage and original shows which offer viewers a glimpse at the behind-the-scenes efforts of scientists and engineers.
The streaming service is a modern evolution of NASA TV, a traditional cable channel that began in the early ‘80s and continued through August 2024. NASA TV shows included a weekly segment called This Week @ NASA, a kid’s program called Education File, and a historical program called NASA Gallery.
In the wake of the 2010s cord cutting era and the rise of streaming (as of this June, more Americans are watching streaming platforms than both broadcast and cable combined for the first time ever), NASA decided to shift its digital focus to NASA+. Less than a year after the streaming service’s founding, it already gained four times more viewership than NASA TV, per a press release. Cheryl Warner, news chief at NASA, says the NASA+ app has now been downloaded more than 40 million times. Now, it seems, NASA is looking to give viewership numbers a boost.
What will NASA+ be streaming on Netflix?
According to an official statement from NASA, the content set to air on Netflix will include “rocket launches, astronaut spacewalks, mission coverage, and breathtaking live views of Earth from the International Space Station.”
Rebecca Sirmons, general manager of NASA+, added that “The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 calls on us to share our story of space exploration with the broadest possible audience”—a goal that’s much more achievable for NASA through Netflix’s global audience of 700 million than via its own platforms. This February, NASA astronauts also began streaming on Twitch live from space for the first time ever.
“We are excited to include broader streaming opportunities as part of our NASA coverage,” Warner says. “We are intentionally meeting our audiences through the platforms and services they use. Our coverage with Netflix is focused on live programming at this time, and there were no funds exchanged through our agreement.”
