The view from the ISS.

Summary

T-Minus Space Daily: The View from the ISS

Host: Maria Varmazes
Guest: Liam Kennedy, CENTV
Release Date: March 1, 2025

---

Introduction

In the March 1, 2025 episode of T-Minus Space Daily, hosted by Maria Varmazes, the spotlight shines brightly on CENTV's groundbreaking initiative to bring unprecedented views from the International Space Station (ISS) to Earth. The episode, titled "The View from the ISS," delves into the technical marvels, operational challenges, and future aspirations of CENTV’s Space TV1 project, offering listeners an immersive glimpse into life aboard the ISS through high-definition live streaming.

---

Launch and Deployment of Space TV1

Liam Kennedy kicks off the discussion by detailing the inception and deployment of Space TV1, CENTV’s innovative camera payload on the ISS.

"We have launched a 24.7 channel showing the views from our camera payload on the space station called Space TV1. That one should give everyone the idea that yes, there is going to be a two and more. That's really what it represents that this is just the beginning."
-- Liam Kennedy [01:55]

Space TV1 marked a significant milestone by providing the first-ever continuous live 4K Earth-viewing stream from the ISS. Launched aboard CRS-30 in March 2024, the payload underwent extensive testing and software upgrades before achieving its current operational status in August 2024.

---

Installation Challenges and Collaboration with ISS Crew

Installing Space TV1 on the ISS was no small feat. Liam elaborates on the meticulous process and the pivotal role of ISS crew members.

"Our payload was in bubble wrap, or the equivalent of bubble wrap somewhere in the station for all of those months... Either Sonny or Butch, we believe, were the ones who pulled off the lens caps."
-- Liam Kennedy [04:33]

Due to the ISS's bustling schedule, installation did not occur immediately post-launch. Adjustments were necessary, especially with the unexpected changes stemming from the Starliner missions. Despite these hurdles, Space TV1 was successfully integrated into the Bishop airlock and subsequently attached to the Argus sub-platform on the Columbus module, ensuring optimal positioning for uninterrupted Earth views.

---

Operational Capabilities and Live Streaming Technology

The core of Space TV1 lies in its ability to provide a 24/7 live stream of Earth. Liam delves into the technical infrastructure that makes this possible.

"We are going through multiple hops using some of the things that many who follow space station payloads and communications will know about. There's the TDRS network of communication satellites... our implementation partner is Airbus Defense and Space in Houston."
-- Liam Kennedy [06:26]

Space TV1 leverages the TDRS (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite) network to transmit high-definition video from the ISS to ground stations. The collaboration with Airbus Defense and Space ensures seamless data flow, albeit with occasional interruptions due to satellite handoffs and geometric obstructions caused by the ISS's orientation and solar panel placements.

---

Content Features and Viewer Experience

Listeners gain insight into the diverse visual content provided by Space TV1. From the mesmerizing nadir (directly downward) views to horizon and docking port perspectives, the live stream offers varied and engaging visuals.

"We have two other camera angles. We have one pointed at the horizon, and then we have another one pointed at the docking port, the PMA2 forward... we will be implementing a whole automated system to switch to the horizon cam slightly before sunrise."
-- Liam Kennedy [18:45]

Space TV1 intelligently switches between different camera feeds to maintain viewer engagement, especially during orbital night. When the ISS passes into darkness, instead of showing a blank screen, the system displays prerecorded content or highlights illuminated cityscapes, ensuring a visually appealing experience even when natural light is minimal.

---

Handling Challenges: Orbital Night and Signal Loss

Maintaining a truly continuous live stream from the ISS involves navigating the challenges of orbital night and periodic signal losses.

"Unless you're on a 4K monitor going full screen, you may miss some of the graphics and text that's down at the bottom... when there is something to see, even at night, that we will be displaying that."
-- Liam Kennedy [09:19]

Space TV1 addresses these challenges by predicting the ISS’s orbital path to anticipate periods of darkness and signal loss. During such times, the system either displays prerecorded videos or, when possible, switches to imagery of illuminated cities. This approach not only enhances viewer satisfaction but also maintains the channel's reputation for delivering high-quality, engaging content.

---

Public and Industry Response

The introduction of Space TV1 has garnered enthusiastic feedback from both the public and industry stakeholders. Liam shares anecdotal evidence of NASA's appreciation and the positive reception from the space community.

"We did share the private livestream with NASA, some on the flight control team and with Boeing. So they at least got to see just the magnificent moment when uncrewed, the Starliner was released... we were providing on the live stream."
-- Liam Kennedy [23:24]

This positive reception underscores the value of Space TV1 not only as a public-facing channel but also as a tool for mission support and documentation.

---

Future Endeavors: Space TV2 and Beyond

Looking ahead, CENTV is already laying the groundwork for Space TV2, promising even more advanced features and broader coverage.

"Space TV 2 that we're hoping to launch, it will likely be early next year... with the number of cameras with just the resolution that we can get to by using multiple cameras."
-- Liam Kennedy [24:08]

Space TV2 aims to enhance the viewing experience with higher resolution, additional camera angles, and steerable capabilities. Moreover, CENTV is exploring collaborations with emerging private space station companies, ensuring that their live streaming services remain at the forefront of space-based broadcasting.

---

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with a forward-looking perspective on CENTV's trajectory in the space broadcasting domain. The integration of Space TV1 on the ISS marks a pivotal advancement in space-based media, offering unparalleled real-time visuals of our planet from the vantage point of space. With plans for Space TV2 and ongoing collaborations, CENTV is poised to redefine how we experience Earth from orbit.

---

Notable Quotes

• "The overview view effect is a term coined by Frank White and it's used to explain a cognitive shift that astronauts experience when they see Earth from space."
  — Maria Varmazes [01:01]

• "When you have a payload like this, you may not get installed like a Day after you arrive on the space station."
  — Liam Kennedy [03:59]

• "Our night views over cities are exceptional too."
  — Liam Kennedy [15:05]

• "We want to be everywhere that human beings in particular are in space."
  — Liam Kennedy [25:36]

---

Additional Information

For those interested in exploring further, CENTV's live streams can be accessed via their YouTube channel where the live feed is available alongside prerecorded content during signal interruptions and orbital night phases.

---

This summary captures the essence of the "The View from the ISS" episode, providing an in-depth overview of CENTV's Space TV1 project, its operational intricacies, and future ambitions. Whether you're a space enthusiast or a professional in the industry, this episode offers valuable insights into the evolving landscape of space-based live broadcasting.

Transcript

[Host 1]

You're listening to the N2K space network.

[Advertiser 1]

And now, a message from Blackcloak. Did you know the easiest way for cybercriminals to bypass your company's defenses is by targeting your executives and their families at home? Blackcloak's award winning digital executive protection platform secures their personal devices, home networks and connected lives. Because when executives are compromised at home, your company is at risk. In fact, over one third of new members discover they've already been breached. Protect your executives and their families 24 7, 365 with BlackCloak. Learn more at BlackCloak IO.

[Maria Varmazes]

The overview view effect is a term coined by Frank White and it's used to explain a cognitive shift that astronauts experience when they see Earth from space. It's characterized by a feeling of awe and a sense of connection to the Earth and all the people on it. But what if you could feel that feeling with your feet placed firmly on planet Earth? Welcome to T minus deep space from N2K Networks. I'm Maria Varmazes. There are few better ways of getting caught up in the awe of seeing the Earth from space than through a 4K livestream of the view from the International Space Station. Liam Kennedy from CENTV has more on their new camera on the ISS.

[Liam Kennedy]

We have launched a 24.7channel showing the views from our camera payload on the space station called Space TV1. That one should give everyone the idea that yes, there is going to be a two and more. That's really what it represents that this is just the beginning. And obviously before this we launched several other camera payloads in the very early days of what we were doing in space. In 2019, we did the first ever live 4K Earth viewing livestream from a satellite that we had a hosted payload on. And then we went to our own satellite. It's still up there. It was launched in 20 and we are still capturing extraordinary views from two cameras on that dedicated CubeSat. It's just ours, no one else on it. But yeah, this is really where we were looking to go live 24. 7. And that's. Thank you NASA. Thank you space Station. Thank you. The partners that our implementation partner that's allowed us to do this, but we can now legitimately run our stream 24. 7. And it started out in testing when. So we were winding back the cock. We launched on CRS 30 in March of last year. So coming up for a year. This is the way it goes, folks. When you have a payload like this, you may not get installed like a Day after you arrive on the space station.

[Host 1]

What, you mean they're busy up there?

[Liam Kennedy]

There's this thing called crew scheduling that just means it doesn't always go exactly the way that you think it, that you think it should go. You know, realities, there was a very. The space station is always busy.

[Maria Varmazes]

Oh, yeah.

[Liam Kennedy]

But that period of time was extraordinarily super busy. And schedules changing because there was this thing called Starliner.

[Host 1]

I was just thinking, I'm like, that timing works out with Starlighter, doesn't it? Oh, yeah. Little busy.

[Liam Kennedy]

So Sunny and Butch were supposed to go home. They didn't, obviously. And the cool thing about that is that from what I understand, Sunny and Butch did have something to do with the installation of our payload. Oh, cool. So, you know, our payload was in bubble wrap, or the equivalent of bubble wrap somewhere in the station for all of those months. But the end of August was when we were transferred over into the Bishop airlock. So the commercial airlock. And either Sonny or Butch, we believe, were the ones who pulled off the lens caps. Thank goodness. Thank you for pulling off the lens cap of the six individual cameras that are on our payload. And then it was attached to the inside of the Bishop airlock. And then across two days, it was depressurized, undocked by the Canada arm, and then installed at the front of the space station on a platform called a sub platform called Argus, which is attached to Bartolomeo, which is a shelf on the front of the Columbus module.

[Host 1]

Amazing. Amazing. And now, thanks to all of that, we have the best eye candy possible. I mean, it's just. Which sounds like such a reduction of something that is a monumental effort, but truly it captures imagination like nothing I have ever seen. I mean, how could it not? It is so beautiful. What has it been like since you launched? I imagine there's been a lot of really excited people like myself going, this is great.

[Liam Kennedy]

Yeah. So it has been an amazing moment in the company's development, both from the public comments and then also comments from industry partners, because this is a major point. So we were installed the end of August, August 27, 2024. And from then until now, there were many moments where we were doing short term live streaming. We were perfecting various settings on our payload, upgrading the software. Because when you launch in March and you're installed in August, what that means is everything that your payload is about pretty much has been completely redone for various reasons. Now we operate the payload. I'm one of the ones who can switch cameras, do various things like that. But Our engineering team is. Yeah, all of that. So we're doing all of that between August and now. But we had to do a whole raft of updates because it's wrong to put it in like we. We are operating because there's so much infrastructure that NASA has provided. The space station partners have provided, for instance, just the simple fact of getting our 4K signal, our data down from the space station. We are going through multiple hops using some of the things that many who follow space station payloads and communications will know about. There's the TDRS network of communication satellites. So we're going down through that, but we are not going through NASA's side. Who knew this? So if you are on essentially, what is the ESA side of the space station? Cause we're attached to Columbus module and our implementation partner is Airbus Defense and Space in Houston. Our payload allocation comes from that side of the house. And when we get the video link, it's coming from a European data center. And then that's when we grab that and then we're putting it through our systems to add our sort of footprint on the video that you're now seeing.

[Host 1]

Yeah, the little watermark in the corner, as it should. I mean, it's your work. I mean, you should get that credit. Of course, the watermark.

[Liam Kennedy]

And there's various other bits of information that is in the lower quadrant. And unless you're on a 4K monitor going full screen, you may miss some of the graphics and text that's down at the bottom. So at the moment it's saying we're currently going through a replay during orbital night and the next sunrise is in 9 minutes and 2 seconds. So that's at the bottom in a sort of graphic overlay, but depending on how you're looking at it. Because this is the thing about showing live 247 images. Unless you're into this thing, there may be some surprising things. Firstly, that the communications network from the space to ground goes through expected and planned loss of signal events, right?

[Host 1]

Yes.

[Liam Kennedy]

So TDRS is a really reliable system. But the way that that works is there's geostationary satellites above the station and there's antennas on the station that are tracking those satellites. And there is regular breaks in communications when they have to switch from one satellite to the next. Or it could be the solar panels get in the way.

[Host 1]

Oh, just geometry causing that.

[Liam Kennedy]

Just geometry.

[Host 1]

Yeah, just geometry.

[Liam Kennedy]

All of that means that we can't. We're not 247 because of those. We're really more like 20 out of 24 hours.

[Host 1]

If anyone complains, we should smack them, because.

[Liam Kennedy]

No, keep complaining, because maybe in the future that will be resolved through other ways to get data. So, yes, I know people are working on it, hearing that feedback.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Liam Kennedy]

And the other part of it is, what do you do when we're in darkness? There's a choice to be made. If the view is nothing, you know, is that conducive to a 24.7tv channel? Because, you know, are you. You're gonna get people tuning into it, and then there's nothing to see.

[Host 1]

Right.

[Liam Kennedy]

So what do you do about that? The purist version of me says, hey, we should just be showing exactly what's below all the time. And maybe eventually we will have that. But at this moment in time, what we've chosen to do is to fill the loss of signal events with prerecorded content. So if anyone looks at our YouTube channel. So it's just YouTube.comsen S E N that takes you to our channel, and then there's a link right there to the live stream. But when you click on it, you may look at it and you may get a bit confused as to what you're seeing. But look at the bottom part of the screen for the graphics that tell you what's going on, really? So. And there's another wrinkle on this as well, because.

[Host 1]

Okay, yeah, okay.

[Liam Kennedy]

Saying that we don't have loss of signal. However, if the view is legitimately nothing at nighttime, the space station could be over a part of the Earth where it's full clouds and no cities and no electrical storms. If it's just black, we will display prerecorded videos as well.

[Host 1]

Is that something that you all decide on the fly? How do you know that? Or is that an algorithm that you have running somewhere?

[Liam Kennedy]

Yeah, so, absolutely. The orbital path of the space station is very easily calculated. And so we have access to exactly when the station will be in darkness, and we know when there are loss of signal events about to come up and all of that. But more than anything, we're. So this was what we were perfecting, is we can't predict when there's gonna be electrical storms.

[Host 1]

Right.

[Liam Kennedy]

We can't predict when the weather will be clear or not. And we want to make sure when there is something to see, even at night, that we will be displaying that. So that's part of all of our work. The engineering team, the software team, we are literally analyzing frame by frame, the image that we're capturing. And if we see that there is imagery available at night, we will switch the feed on and show that during testing and going forward, we've had exceptional results of night views. So cities, bright cities, they look exceptional in our cameras.

[Host 1]

I bet they do, yeah.

[Liam Kennedy]

On the NASA side of things, if you were to check some of their views at nighttime, you would see that the screen is filled with what's called hot pixels, which are dead or defective pixels in the camera chip that have been damaged by the high radiation environment.

[Host 1]

Right.

[Liam Kennedy]

And when they're in night mode, the NASA cameras go real high exposure. So you just end up seeing this amazing view of stars. Many people think it's stars because they're not moving, but if you see cities going by, you'll see bright clumps of the city lights from bright cities below.

[Host 1]

Right.

[Liam Kennedy]

So it's cool, but it's filled with all of that. Now our sensors.

[Host 1]

Visual artifacting. Right, that's it, yeah.

[Liam Kennedy]

So our sensors do suffer from some of that, but we know from our previous hardware that we're using in Space TV 2, sorry, Space TV 1, that the damage to. I'm getting ahead of myself. The damage is very minimal. And so we've had our camera on etv, the Earth TV satellite, that's that cubesat. And it's remarkably stood up very well to the radiation environment in low Earth orbit. And our current one, which has still been up there for a year, although unused, it's still operating really amazingly well. So our night views over cities are exceptional too.

[Maria Varmazes]

Foreign. We'll be right back after this quick break.

[Advertiser 1]

Cyber threats are more sophisticated than ever. Passwords. They're outdated and can be cracked in a minute. Cybercriminals are intercepting SMS codes and bypassing authentication apps. While businesses invest in network security, they often overlook the front door, the login. Yubico believes the future is passwordless. Yubikeys offer unparalleled protection against phishing. For individuals, SMBs and enterprises, they deliver a fast, frictionless experience that users love. Yubico is offering N2K followers a limited buy one, get one offer. Visit yubico.com N2K to unlock this deal. That's Yubico. Say no to modern cyber threats. Upgrade your security today.

[Advertiser 2]

And now, a message from our sponsor, zscaler, the leader in cloud security. Enterprises have spent billions of dollars on firewalls and VPNs, yet breaches continue to rise by an 18% year over year increase in ransomware attacks and a $75 million record payout in 2024. These traditional security tools expand your attack surface with public facing IPs that are exploited by bad actors more easily than ever with AI tools. It's time to rethink your security. Zscaler Zero Trust+AI stops attackers by hiding your attack surface. Making apps and IPs invisible. Eliminating lateral movement. Connecting users only to specific apps, not the entire network. Continuously verifying every request based on identity and context. Simplifying security management with AI powered automation and detecting threats. Using AI to analyze over 500 billion daily transactions. Hackers can't attack what they can't see. Protect your organization with Zscaler Zero Trust and AI. Learn [e-mail] Security.

[Host 1]

I mean, the Earth is filled with a lot of ocean. That can be. So would we see like a full daytime sweep of the Pacific Ocean, or is that just too boring to have just blue?

[Liam Kennedy]

Yeah, good. Yeah, good question. Because mostly I think what we've been concentrating on is the Nadir view straight down. But we do have two other camera angles. We have a horizon view. I often say forward facing horizon view, except it isn't forward facing when the space station spins around. Did you know that happens? That actually happens. Sometimes what you think should be forward is actually going the other way. So we have two other camera views. We have one pointed at the horizon, and then we have another one pointed at the docking port, the PMA2 forward. Currently, there's no spacecraft docked there, so it's a little bit boring to see. However, we will be implementing a whole automated system to switch to the horizon cam slightly before sunrise. So we get to see sunrise. So we will be seeing that coming up very soon. And so we'll be on sunrise, then we'll switch to the docking cam, and then we'll switch to the Nadir. And that's sort of the sequence that we're planning on going forward with. Is that kind of automated system that handles that.

[Host 1]

That is amazing. So I was saying earlier, is there an algorithm? And it's like it is a team of very talented people, it sounds like, in part. So that's amazing. So thank you to everyone doing that. That's gotta be a really cool job. You've been mentioning sort of hints of camera number two and saying I'm getting ahead of myself. And I'm going, okay, well, now I need to hear more about this.

[Liam Kennedy]

Oh, yes. What y'all working on? Space TV 2?

[Host 1]

Yes. Space TV 2.

[Liam Kennedy]

My gosh, how much do I give away in this one? I'll probably give it all away just because. Why really hide where we're up to? So it's no, it probably no surprise that once we started showing our views, there's a lot of people that, that are interested in that in the industry, people that are related to the space station. There is a lot of interest. It started because, remember when I said we first went live was August 27th. Well, it wasn't very long after that that Starliner undocked and we just happened to get our livestream working. I am not kidding you. 30 minutes before Starliner undocked.

[Host 1]

Wow.

[Liam Kennedy]

Wow. The last minute. So, bearing in mind, when we launched, we had this bonkers idea that we thought we would be ready to capture Starliner docking, but thank goodness we did at least get installed just before Starliner undocked. And it was just an exceptionally exquisite moment. And we did share that view with NASA, although it wasn't publicly available. We shared the private livestream with NASA, some on the flight control team and with Boeing. So they at least got to see just the magnificent moment when uncrewed, the Starliner was released. And then the reaction control thrusters worked and the sun angle at that time just meant that because we literally remember we just went live 30 minutes before. It was a little bit overexposed, but I actually think the overexposed view allowed us to see the thrusters operating in a really exquisite way. We got great feedback from NASA just in terms of how wonderful that view was.

[Host 1]

How useful I imagine that was too.

[Maria Varmazes]

My goodness.

[Liam Kennedy]

Yes, yes, it was. If you were looking at the official livestream at that moment, you would have seen nothing like what it is that we were providing on the live stream.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Liam Kennedy]

So what that means is we've already been receiving significant feedback on both how wonderful the views are from those who are part of the ISS program in various aspects. And yeah, discovered that there are potential use cases of our cameras in vehicle inspection in things like that.

[Host 1]

Things like that. Yep.

[Liam Kennedy]

Our Space TV 2 that we're hoping to launch, it will be. When it does happen, it will likely be early next year, but now we know how everything goes, things should be smoother as far as the deployment time and things like that. But yeah, think of everything from. Okay, you like what you see right now and our space TV version is just gonna be infinitely better. I know that sounds like an exaggeration, but it will just be extraordinary with the number of cameras with just the resolution that we can get to by using multiple cameras. And also think steerable too. So we will have the ability to move things around, which was on our first mission that hosted payload in 2019, we had our own steerable cameras. On that. And we're now iterating the design down to make it smaller and to be more accessible in that way.

[Host 1]

That's exciting. I have to wonder also, are you talking to any of the private space station companies like Vast or any of those folks?

[Liam Kennedy]

I don't know if you can tell.

[Host 1]

Me any of that, but.

[Liam Kennedy]

So it should be no surprise. We want to be everywhere that human beings in particular are in space. We also obviously have our own plans for additional satellites, CubeSats or others at different orbital altitudes and different locations. But, yeah, the space station, on paper, it's 2030, right? And then we know that there are other players who are looking to create additional platforms, both to really keep everything going as far as the wonderful commercialization that has happened. I mean, we are here legitimately because NASA had the foresight to create a program that worked for our small company to do what we've done. So, number one, but 2030 comes around, and between now and then, there are several other platforms that are available. And yes, we have our sights on those. I can't really discuss anything around are we going on these platforms or whatever at the moment, but you can bet your bottom dollar that that is an important aspect of where we are spending a lot of our time.

[Host 1]

I'm so, so glad to hear that. So I look forward to hearing that news whenever it drops. It'll be wonderful. And I just want to go back before we conclude about the idea of, you know, CIS lunar views. Is this something that's actually really, like, in the works right now, or is this still sort of theoretical or. I mean, where is that exactly?

[Liam Kennedy]

And until you've. Yeah, until you've got a payload on the bench being worked on, I can tell you space TV is on the bench being worked on and very close to sort of really going through on that one. You can always say it's a bit theoretical, but it is key to where we expect ourselves to be.

[Maria Varmazes]

That's it for T. Deep Space, brought to you by N2K Cyberwire. We'd love to know what you think of this podcast. You can email [e-mail] or submit the survey in the show notes. Your feedback ensures that we deliver the information that keeps you a step ahead in the rapidly changing space industry. N2K Senior Producer is Alice Carruth. Our producer is Liz Stokes. We're mixed by Elliot Peltzman and Trey Hester with original music by Elliot Peltzman. Our executive producer is Jennifer Ibin. Peter Kilby is our publisher and I'm your host Maria Varmazes. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time. Sa foreign.

[Advertiser 1]

Dave here. Have you ever wondered where your personal information is lurking online? Like many of you, I was concerned about my data being sold by data brokers. So I decided to try delete me. I have to say, delete me is a game changer. Within days of signing up, they started removing my personal information from hundreds of data brokers. I finally have peace of mind knowing my data Privacy is protected. DeletMe's team does all the work for you with detailed reports so you know.

[Advertiser 2]

Exactly what's been done.

[Advertiser 1]

Take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for Deleteme now at a special discount for our listeners today. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com N2K and use promo code N2K at checkout. The only way to get 20% off is to go to JoinDeleteMe. Com N2K and enter code N2K at checkout. That's JoinDeleteMe. Com N2k code N2K.