Credit: Netflix

Netflix recently did something you wouldn’t normally associate with any streaming platform, but at the end of the day, it’s Netflix. Yes, it carried a live broadcast of astronauts travelling around the Moon, and for a brief window, viewers could follow a real space mission as it took place. Generally, it’s the news channels that cover it, but this time, Netflix won the race.

The moment that drew attention was part of NASA’s Artemis II mission, specifically the lunar flyby on April 6. This is when the Orion spacecraft reached the Moon, moved around its far side, and began its journey back toward Earth. It marks the first time since 1972 that humans have travelled this far into space, which already places the mission in a significant position.

What made this different was the experience of watching it live.

As the spacecraft approached the Moon, the surface gradually came into clearer view. Details that would usually be seen in still images, like craters or shadows, were visible as the distance closed. At its nearest point, Orion passed at roughly 4,000 miles above the lunar surface, offering a perspective that felt immediate, as if a real-time match were being broadcast.

Then came a moment that stood out during the broadcast. Communication dropped as the spacecraft moved behind the Moon, temporarily cutting off contact with Earth. This is a known part of lunar missions, but seeing it happen in real time created a pause in the stream where the mission continued out of view. For a few minutes, there were no updates, only the understanding that the spacecraft was on the far side. Can you imagine how insane all of this sounds? Feels like watching a space movie, and that’s exactly what it was mirroring.

When the connection returned, the visual moved again. We saw Earth coming back into frame, rising in the distance as Orion re-emerged. People have seen Earthrise in photos before, but watching it appear live was a whole new experience.

You must be wondering who the crew on board was. The team consisted of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, who also represent a series of milestones. Koch becomes the first woman to travel this far from Earth, Glover the first Black astronaut on a lunar mission, and Hansen the first Canadian astronaut to make the journey.

Artemis II is a flyby mission, which means the spacecraft goes around the Moon and comes back to Earth without landing. It follows a set path that naturally brings it back, and the whole mission is meant to test everything before future missions try landing astronauts on the Moon.

The livestream was available on Netflix through its NASA+ integration, depicting a real-time space mission. But many of us might be wondering, what’s so special about Netflix streaming? The reason behind that is this collab made the whole mission accessible in a format people already use every day. At the same time, Netflix has shown that it’s open to more such important collaborations (not just from space) and can be trusted with it.

This live stream on Netflix moved the experience closer to the moment itself, rather than something viewed after it has already happened. Cheers to that!