World's first 4k stream from space is now live and already captured a solar eclipse and devastating hurricane during its journey around Earth
Topics: Space, Earth, Technology, Science, Environment
Emily Brown
Featured Image Credit: Sen
Topics: Space, Earth, Technology, Science, Environment
A first-of-its-kind livestream from space is now available for everyone in the world to watch, and it's already captured events like the solar eclipse and the swirling clouds of Hurricane Milton.
Launched by the space video streaming app Sen, the livestream is available to watch online thanks to Sen’s 4K camera system, called 'SpaceTV-1', which is hosted on the International Space Station.
Sen has been showing off the capabilities of the livestream in recent months, and now the stream is live for everyone in the world, allowing people to tune in to see what Earth looks like from above as well as keep track of any ongoing global events.
Founded in 2014 by Charles Black, Sen is a video streaming app which is dedicated to 'democratizing' space through the medium of video.
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The company hopes to inform and educate humanity by offering an unbiased view of the Earth - one that we can see for ourselves, rather than having to learn about through politicians or those rich enough to actually travel into space.
The company's mission is to make the data gathered about Earth from space universally accessible, which is why its livestream is free to use.
As well as offering everyone on Earth the chance to see our planet from the view of an astronaut, the company also plans to use its livestream to provide real-time environmental monitoring.
Sen is streaming its footage on YouTube, where it can be found on the Sen channel, as well as on the Sen website.
The stream is free for all users, but the company also offers subscription options for no ads, downloads and usage.
The world’s first live Ultra High Definition views of Earth are being captured by Sen through three camera views: one with a wide angle 'panoramic' lens which provides views of Earth's horizon, another that looks straight down at Earth, and a third aimed at the forward-facing docking port of the space station’s Harmony Module.
The cameras are able to stream footage from space live to Earth for more than 20 hours per day, with just a few hours a day of expected downtime due to routine loss of signal communications with the inter-satellite link which is relaying the video data to the ground.
Prior to its release to the public, Sen has already shown the benefits of having a livestream from space through its coverage of events such as the solar eclipse last April, and Hurricane Milton, which struck Florida in October.
On Sen's stream from April, cameras caught the shadow of the Moon passing across the surface of the Earth as it momentarily blocked out the Sun.
In October, the cameras captured clouds swirling over the Earth as Hurricane Milton made its way towards the US from the ocean.
Black, who is also the CEO of Sen, expressed his thanks to the Sen staff and the company's investors for helping to make the livestream 'possible'.
"We’re excited to share these amazing 4K live views of Earth," he said. "This mission really is for all humanity and we hope our livestream will be a valuable application that empowers everyone with real-time information, and that it will inspire people."
Now that its livestream is officially available to the public, Sen is planning to launch further video cameras into space to increase livestreaming output in 2026 and beyond.