I can't get Netflix to run smoothly in my house but NASA just sent a 4K
video stream from the Moon, thanks to AWS

Date:
Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:20:00 +0000

Description:
First-ever 4K video stream from the Moon to Earth represents major milestone, uses 260Mbps laser optics.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter 25 million viewers watch the first-ever 4K livestream beamed from the Moon 260Mbps transfer speeds send video more than 250,000 miles AWS GovCloud has an important role in NASA simulations Amazon Web Services the biggest cloud hyperscaler with a market share equaling the combined share of both Microsoft and Google just helped
to enable the first-ever like 4K video stream from the Moon.

The company transmitted video footage from the Orion spacecraft by laser,
with an estimated 25 million people watching the coverage across NASA+, YouTube and Amazons own Prime Video platform. Not only is this the first time 4K video has ever been transmitted from the Moon to Earth, but its also major news for video transmission by laser optics instead of conventional radio. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: AWS enabled 260Mbps transfer speeds via laser Key to supporting the video transmission was NASAs Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System (O2O) a laser-based terminal more than 20
years in the making that supports up to 260Mbps transfer speeds. In other words, fast enough for real-time 4K video and other crucial mission data.

Generally, streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video would recommend having internet speeds of 15-20Mbps to stream 4K video. With NASA and AWS opening up 260Mbps, more than enough buffer was available to continue transmitting other key telemetry, voice communications, mission data and other files. You may like Artemis II laser communication system performs 100,000 times faster than Apollo 13 radio Watch the incredible 'Earthset' video shot by NASA on an iPhone 17 Pro Max You can buy the same memory card used during the Artemis II mission on Amazon

Unlike traditional radio systems, optical communications promise much higher bandwidth and are better suited to transmitting much larger datasets, thus they are expected to become increasingly important as space exploration
pushes new boundaries.

In this case, laser transmissions were received by Mount Stromlo Observatory near Canberra, Australia, and NASAs White Sands Complex in New Mexico was responsible for processing and distributing signals. AWS, NASA, and ANU partnered and stood up the connection in a matter of weeks, for the cost of a laptop, the company declared . Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news
and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

All in, the video was transmitted an estimated quarter of a million miles, connecting viewers to the farthest humans ever to travel from Earth.

But Amazons partnership with NASA runs even deeper than this, with the
company hosting the official NASA+ streaming platform using AWS Elemental services. Amazon plays a crucial role in NASAs trajectory Besides video, Amazons cloud infrastructure also proves instrumental to other core NASA operations. Its flight sciences team at the Johnson Space Center runs tens of thousands of trajectory simulations for every launch opportunity, producing
as much as 2-5TB of data per launch window.

Amazon proudly proclaimed that these simulations run on AWS GovCloud (US), enabling maximum security for sensitive data. Using a technique known as
cloud bursting, NASA is able to scale into hundreds of additional Intel
-based cloud instances on demand, allowing it to retarget and optimize trajectory in near real-time.

Mission control aside, Amazons huge video streaming success lays out the framework for future space missions, including the upcoming Artemis IV lunar landing which NASA hopes to get into the hands of 250 million live viewers. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/i-cant-get-netflix-to-run-smoothly-in-my-house-b ut-nasa-just-sent-a-4k-video-stream-from-the-moon-thanks-to-aws


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)