In 2006, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) achieved a broadcast industry milestone when the agency successfully produced a live high-definition (HD) transmission from space. On April 26, 2017, at 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time (US) at the Las Vegas Convention Center during the 2017 NAB Show, NASA crossed another threshold in advanced video innovation as it delivered live 4K video from the ISS.
According to NASA, the opportunities that live 4K video unlocks for the agency are significant: in addition to enhancing NASA’s ability to observe, uncover and adapt new knowledge of orbital and deep space, there is the visual impact of “live” versus recorded video. The 4K images can also benefit the work of scientists by helping engineers and payload developers better monitor experiments as well as spacecraft performance, and aid trouble-shooting.