NASA Artemis II uses GoPro Hero 4s, Nikon Z9s, and laser comms for 4K moon livestream

Summary

NASA's Artemis II mission launches today with a livestream of humanity's return to the moon using consumer and professional cameras modified for space, paired with a laser communications terminal capable of beaming 4K video back to Earth with a three-second latency.

The spacecraft carries 28 dedicated cameras mounted externally on the tips of Orion's four solar arrays and as handheld units for astronauts. The external cameras are heavily ruggedized versions of the GoPro Hero 4 Black, a nine-year-old platform locked into the project at its inception. These cameras shoot 4K at 30 frames per second with a 12-megapixel CMOS sensor and can rotate to capture selfies of the spacecraft with Earth or the moon in the background.

NASA is targeting Netflix-quality livestream quality during the lunar flyby on April 6. The stream will transmit 4K UHD video with a three-second latency using a Frontier laser communication terminal capable of transmitting data at 260 megabits per second. The live broadcast will be compressed to 1080p for distribution, though the full 4K footage will be archived.

The Orion spacecraft will carry four astronauts on a high-energy free return trajectory to the moon and back in roughly ten days. Orion will enter a highly elliptical orbit with an apogee of 44,000 miles above Earth, roughly 150 to 200 times higher than the International Space Station's orbital altitude of 200 to 280 miles. After coasting for more than four days, the crew will reach the moon for a lunar flyby at a maximum altitude of 6,000 miles and a minimum of 60 to 70 miles from the surface. The mission will set a record for the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth.