Is NASA space footage free to use?

NASA media is generally not copyrighted in the US and may be used commercially with credit, as long as you don't use the NASA insignia or imply endorsement. Partner-credited clips need a closer look.

Why do some space clips look like animations?

Many are visualisations or artist's concepts rendered from data or mission plans, since cameras can't film most of space directly. They are labelled as animation or visualisation where the source says so.

Space and science footage

Free space footage: planets, stars and missions

Free space stock video from NASA and open archives: planets, the Sun and Moon, galaxies, spacecraft and astronauts, with NASA's credit rules shown.

Clips: 33 clips
Sources: from 3 sources
1080p or better: 5 in 1080p or better
Cleared for commercial use: 21 cleared for commercial use
Editorial use only: 28 editorial-only
Direct downloads: 33 with direct download
Updated: October 28, 2026

Search live for “space”Use it from code or an agent

Picked automatically from a live search of 23 sites and refreshed daily. Hover a clip to preview it; posters and previews load straight from the source, never through this site. Each clip belongs to its creator: check its licence on the source page before you publish.

Space, mostly from NASA

NASA is by far the largest free source of space footage: mission video, astronauts at work, the Sun in extreme ultraviolet, lunar flyovers, galaxies and nebulae, and animations of spacecraft that no camera could film. Wikimedia Commons adds footage from other agencies and observatories under free licences.

Using it

Space footage carries real rules: credit NASA, keep the NASA logo out of your branding, don’t suggest NASA endorses you, and ask before identifiable astronauts appear in an ad. That is why NASA clips carry an editorial flag here. Visualisations of data (the Sun, the Moon, star fields) contain no people or insignia and are the easiest to use as backgrounds.

Hover a card to play its preview straight from NASA’s servers; open it for the 1080p and 4K files.

Where these come from

Licences

NASA media (public domain in the US): 19
Public domain: 13
CC BY 3.0: 1

CC0 and public domain: commercial use, no credit needed. CC BY and NASA media need a credit line; editorial clips are not for ads. Video licences explained

Guides

From code or an agent

The same search over the REST API:

curl "https://video.shep.bot/v1/search?q=space&category=space"

Or give your AI agent the MCP server https://video.shep.bot/mcp and ask for “space”. Setup

Questions

Is NASA space footage free to use?: NASA media is generally not copyrighted in the US and may be used commercially with credit, as long as you don't use the NASA insignia or imply endorsement. Partner-credited clips need a closer look.
Why do some space clips look like animations?: Many are visualisations or artist's concepts rendered from data or mission plans, since cameras can't film most of space directly. They are labelled as animation or visualisation where the source says so.

All collections →

Earth from space videos: orbit views and globes
Free videos of Earth from space: views from the space station, rotating globes, night lights, weather and auroras from NASA, with credit lines ready.
36 clips from 3 sources · 7 in 1080p or better
Rocket launch footage: liftoffs and missions
Free rocket launch videos from NASA and open archives: liftoffs, engine close-ups, tracking shots and historic launches, with credit lines and partner warnings.
19 clips from 2 sources
NASA data visualisations and science animations
Free science visualisations from NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio and others: weather, oceans, the Sun and Moon, often 4K at 60 fps.
36 clips from 3 sources · 10 in 1080p or better
Free motion backgrounds and abstract loops
Free motion backgrounds: abstract animations, particles, gradients and data-driven loops for titles, slides, stage screens and websites.
14 clips from 1 source