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Footage collections

Free space footage: launches, Earth and NASA

NASA is the single richest source of free space footage: about nine thousand videos in its Image and Video Library and about ten thousand visualisation pages from its Scientific Visualization Studio, much of it in 1080p or 4K. These collections group that footage by subject, alongside space clips from Wikimedia Commons. NASA media is generally not copyrighted in the US, but it comes with rules about credit, endorsement and the NASA insignia, which every card reflects.

Updated , from a live search of 23 sites.

4 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

  • 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.

    33 clips from 3 sources · 5 in 1080p or better

  • 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

  • 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's rules, briefly

Credit NASA. Don't use the NASA insignia (the 'meatball') or logotype, and don't suggest NASA endorses you, your product or your channel. Identifiable astronauts and staff need permission before they appear in ads. Footage that NASA distributes for a partner, such as a launch company, may be that partner's copyright: those clips are marked 'check the terms'. Because of the endorsement and insignia rules, every NASA clip is flagged editorial here.

Visualisations make great backgrounds

The Scientific Visualization Studio renders measured and simulated data: sea surface temperatures, hurricanes, solar flares, the Moon's terrain, galaxies. They have no people or logos in them, are often 4K at 30 to 60 fps, and some come in vertical versions, which makes them some of the best free motion backgrounds available.

Launch footage

Launch videos range from wide pad shots to tracking cameras and slow-motion engine close-ups, often from several angles of the same launch. Check the credit line: launches of commercial rockets are sometimes filmed by the launch company rather than NASA.

Questions

Can I use NASA footage on a monetised YouTube channel?
Generally yes: NASA media is not copyrighted in the US and NASA allows commercial use with credit. Don't use the NASA logo, don't imply endorsement, and check the credit line for third-party copyright.
Is NASA footage public domain outside the US?
US copyright law doesn't apply abroad, and NASA only states that its material is generally not copyrighted in the US. In practice it is widely used worldwide, but if you work in another country, check how your local law treats US government works.

Search space and science footage live

Each link runs a fresh search of every source for one kind of footage. Results preview on hover, show their resolution, shape and length where known, and carry a licence verdict; turn on Commercial-safe to keep only clips you can use in a commercial video.

Also known as: nasa footage, space b-roll, rocket footage, earth from space video.

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