Liftoff Videos
Every mission, with the videos that tell it
Every mission we cover, by year.
Published: 6 Dec 2025
This documentary-style explainer covers the early assembly of the International Space Station, from Zarya and Unity in 1998 through the 14 shuttle missions up to 2003.
Mission: 2003Published: 28 Nov 2025
A documentary on the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia on 1 February 2003, which killed all seven astronauts on the return from the 16-day STS-107 science mission.
Published: 13 Nov 2025
Livestream coverage of the countdown for NG-2, the second New Glenn flight, from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral.
Published: 9 Nov 2025
Live coverage of Blue Origin's second New Glenn launch, NG-2, from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying NASA's twin ESCAPADE spacecraft toward Mars along with a Viasat…
Mission: 1986Published: 4 Nov 2025
STS-51-L, the 25th Space Shuttle mission, lifted off on January 28, 1986 in record cold, and Challenger was destroyed 73 seconds later, killing all seven crew members.
Published: 30 Oct 2025
A live read-through of SpaceX's press release on its Starship Human Landing System for NASA's Artemis program, with new renders and hardware photos.
Published: 29 Oct 2025
Apollo 16 Lunar Module Pilot Charlie Duke gave this keynote at the 2nd Annual Astro Awards on January 26, 2025, recalling his career, the Saturn V launch, a control-system problem that nearly…
Mission: 1986Published: 27 Sep 2025
Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after launch on January 28, 1986, and all seven astronauts died.
Mission: 2021Published: 6 Sep 2025
A documentary following ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet on his second trip to the International Space Station, Mission Alpha, which launched on April 23rd, 2021 aboard a Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon…
Mission: 2003Published: 8 Aug 2025
A documentary on the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia on 1 February 2003, which killed all seven crew members on re-entry.
Published: 12 Jul 2025
A long-form history of the International Space Station, from early station proposals and Space Station Freedom through the Shuttle-era assembly, Expeditions, the Columbia pause, commercial cargo and…
Mission: 1970Published: 4 Jul 2025
After an oxygen tank rupture, Apollo 13 became a rescue effort with the lunar module serving as a lifeboat.
Mission: 1977Published: 31 May 2025
The video looks at the golden records on Voyagers 1 and 2, launched in 1977, and asks whether a hypothetical Voyager 3 would carry one today.
Published: 28 May 2025
A long documentary on the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes, from the Grand Tour concept and spacecraft design to the golden record and the discoveries at Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and the edge…
Mission: 1970Published: 10 May 2025
Part one of a documentary on Apollo 13, launched in April 1970 with Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise.
Published: 6 May 2025
A children's educational overview of NASA's Apollo program, which aimed to take humans to the Moon and bring them home safely.
Mission: 1986Published: 3 Apr 2025
A short National Geographic UK segment recounts the Challenger accident of January 28th, 1986.
Published: 26 Mar 2025
The B1M explains how the International Space Station was built from Zarya in 1998 onward and why it is planned to be brought down in 2030 by a specially modified SpaceX Dragon, ending in the ocean…
Published: 17 Feb 2025
A documentary tour of the International Space Station, described as covering 9,700 m² and about 400 tons.
Mission: 1986Published: 25 Jan 2025
A National Geographic special built from archival news reports and NASA footage follows Christa McAuliffe's selection as the first Teacher in Space, the crew's training, and the launch of Challenger…
Mission: 2021Published: 20 Dec 2024
An animated explainer of how space telescopes work, comparing Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope.
Published: 17 Nov 2024
A look at the history of solid rocket motors and the Aerojet AJ260, a 260-inch motor built in the 1960s as a possible backup to the F-1 engine on the Saturn V.
Mission: 1970Published: 6 Nov 2024
Apollo 13 was launched in April 1970 toward the Moon with Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise.
Published: 16 Oct 2024
A documentary history of Skylab, NASA's first space station, built from Apollo-era hardware.
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