Liftoff Videos connects videos about real space missions with the facts of each mission. This page explains where our facts come from, how our articles are prepared and checked, and how to tell us when we get something wrong.
Who writes and edits this site
Articles are researched and written by the site’s editorial team. We publish them under a small set of house bylines, each with its own angle: the crews, the hardware, the robotic explorers and the history of the programmes. The bylines are pen names, not individual scientists or engineers, and their profiles describe what each one writes about and how, not a career. You can meet them on our About page.
Articles are researched and drafted with software help, for example a first summary of a video’s transcript or a first outline of a mission’s timeline. Before publication, every fact is checked against the sources and official reports the article cites, and those sources are listed at the end of each article. When readers report an error, we correct it promptly.
Where our facts come from
- The agencies’ own records. Mission pages, press kits and mission reports from the agency or company that flew the mission, such as NASA, ESA, JAXA or ISRO.
- Official investigations. For accidents and failures, the report of the investigation board, such as the Rogers Commission for Challenger and the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.
- The video transcript. Launch commentary and documentaries add context and detail. We use them for that, and say which video a detail comes from when it matters.
We do not use forums, social media posts or unnamed sources for facts. Where sources disagree on a date, time or figure, we follow the agency’s own record and say so. Launch times are given in UTC unless we say otherwise.
Missions that ended in the loss of a crew
Some missions ended in tragedy. We cover them from the official investigation reports and from sourced documentaries only. We name the crew with care, describe what the investigators found in their words, and do not dramatise or speculate about the final moments.
Text that has not been reviewed yet
Everything we publish is checked against its sources before publication. If any text on the site is still an unreviewed software draft, for example on a video added very recently, it says so next to it, with a note such as “not yet reviewed”.
Corrections
If you find an error, please tell us through our contact page. Tell us the page, what is wrong and, if you can, the source that shows the correct fact. If we were wrong, we fix the page and add a dated note at the bottom saying what changed. Creators whose videos appear here can also ask us to change or remove them.
Changes to this policy
- 1 November 2026: first version.