Satellite Animations
Overview
A collection of spacecraft beauty pass animations for current missions.
Astrophysics Missions
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BurstCube Animations
BurstCube is a mission under development at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. This CubeSat will detect short gamma-ray bursts, which are important sources for gravitational wave discoveries and multimessenger astronomy. The satellite is expected to launch in 2023. ||
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Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Spacecraft Animation
NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, illustrated here, scans the entire sky every three hours as it orbits Earth.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith (USRA/GESTAR) || Fermi_01_Still_print.jpg (1024x604) [53.5 KB] || Fermi_01_Still.png (3584x2114) [3.3 MB] || Fermi_01_Still_searchweb.png (320x180) [38.2 KB] || Fermi_01_Still_thm.png (80x40) [7.0 KB] || fermi_01_comp_060519_ProRes_1920x1080_24.mov (1920x1080) [201.2 MB] || fermi_01_comp_060519_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [29.5 MB] || fermi_01_comp_060519_1080.webm (1920x1080) [2.1 MB] ||
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Hubble Space Telescope's 30th Anniversary Beauty Passes
HST in orbit without background stars. || HST_BP1_UHD_ProRes.00566_print.jpg (1024x576) [131.1 KB] || HST_BP1_UHD_ProRes.mov (3840x2160) [2.2 GB] || Two new animations commisioned for Hubble Space Telescope's 30th Anniversary showing the observatory in orbit around the Earth. ||
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Nancy Grace Roman Spacecraft Beauty Pass Animations and Stills
"Beauty pass" animation of the Roman Space Telescope spacecraft || Roman_Space_Telescope_Animation1_Still.jpg (1920x1080) [201.9 KB] || Roman_Space_Telescope_Animation1_Still_print.jpg (1024x576) [55.1 KB] || Roman_Space_Telescope_Animation1_Still_searchweb.png (320x180) [38.7 KB] || Roman_Space_Telescope_Animation1_Still_thm.png (80x40) [3.7 KB] || Roman_Space_Telescope_Beauty1_ProRes_1920x1080.mov (1920x1080) [508.6 MB] || Roman_Space_Telescope_Beauty1_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [45.4 MB] || Roman_Space_Telescope_Beauty1_1080.webm (1920x1080) [2.1 MB] ||
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NICER Payload Animations
Animated video and stills of the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) payload. ||
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TESS Spacecraft Animations
Beauty Pass of TESS spacecraft || Beauty_One_00687_print.jpg (1024x576) [54.5 KB] || Beauty_One_00687_searchweb.png (320x180) [51.6 KB] || Beauty_One_00687_thm.png (80x40) [4.6 KB] || Tess_B_one_h264.mov (1920x1080) [298.0 MB] || Tess_B_one_h264.webm (1920x1080) [1.8 MB] || Tess_B_one_ProRes.mov (3840x2160) [2.0 GB] || frames/3840x2160_16x9_60p/B1/ (3840x2160) [64.0 KB] || Beauty_One_2160p60.mp4 (3840x2160) [24.4 MB] ||
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Swift Spacecraft Animation
NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, shown in this illustration, launched into Earth orbit in November 2004. The satellite investigates gamma-ray bursts, the most energetic explosions in the universe. Swift observes the sky in visible, ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray light. Its name reflects its ability to rapidly follow up on interesting objects in the sky. Swift also studies supernova explosions, star-shredding black holes in other galaxies, comets, stellar remnants called neutron stars, and other cosmic phenomena. In 2018, NASA renamed Swift in honor of the late Neil Gehrels, who helped develop the mission and served as its principal investigator for 13 years.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith (KBRwyle) || swift_spacecraft_update_still.jpg (1920x1080) [769.2 KB] || swift_spacecraft_update_still_print.jpg (1024x576) [328.5 KB] || swift_spacecraft_update_still_searchweb.png (320x180) [94.8 KB] || swift_spacecraft_update_still_web.png (320x180) [94.8 KB] || swift_spacecraft_update_still_thm.png (80x40) [6.5 KB] || swift_spacecraft_update_HQ.mp4 (1920x1080) [47.7 MB] || swift_spacecraft_update_LQ.mp4 (1920x1080) [24.7 MB] || swift_spacecraft_update_prores.mov (1920x1080) [255.2 MB] || swift_spacecraft_update_HQ.webm (1920x1080) [2.2 MB] ||
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Webb Telescope Animation - Webb Eclipses Sun
Animation of the Webb Telescope eclipsing the sun as seen from the camera point of view. || WEBB_Eclipse_4k_60fps_ProRes.00340_print.jpg (1024x576) [45.1 KB] || WEBB_Eclipse_4k_60fps_ProRes.00340_searchweb.png (320x180) [57.7 KB] || WEBB_Eclipse_4k_60fps_ProRes.00340_web.png (320x180) [57.7 KB] || WEBB_Eclipse_4k_60fps_ProRes.00340_thm.png (80x40) [4.1 KB] || WEBB_Eclipse_4k_60fps_ProRes_1.mp4 (2720x1530) [30.2 MB] || WEBB_Eclipse_4k_60fps_ProRes.mp4 (2720x1530) [118.4 MB] || WEBB_Eclipse_4k_60fps_ProRes.webm (2720x1530) [3.9 MB] ||
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XRISM Beauty Shots
XRISM turntable animations, available both as 4K/30 and 60 fps movies and as frames. The exposed tank behind the truss structure on the side opposite the solar panels houses the Resolve instrument.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab || XRISM_360_4k_30fps_4444ProRes.00001_print.jpg (1024x576) [56.9 KB] || XRISM_360_4k_30fps_4444ProRes.00001_searchweb.png (320x180) [21.2 KB] || XRISM_360_4k_30fps_4444ProRes.00001_thm.png (80x40) [2.3 KB] || XRISM_360_4k_30fps_h264.mov (1920x1080) [25.3 MB] || XRISM_360_4k_60fps_h264.mov (1920x1080) [112.2 MB] || XRISM_360_4k_30fps_4444ProRes.mov (3840x2160) [1.7 GB] || frames/3840x2160_16x9_30p/XRISM_360_4k_30fps/ (3840x2160) [32.0 KB] || XRISM_360_4k_60fps_4444ProRes.mov (3840x2160) [10.0 GB] || frames/3840x2160_16x9_60p/XRISM_360_4k_60fps/ (3840x2160) [128.0 KB] || XRISM_360_4k_30fps_h264.mp4 (3840x2160) [24.7 MB] || XRISM_360_4k_60fps_h264.mp4 (3840x2160) [73.8 MB] || XRISM_360_4k_30fps_4444ProRes.webm (0x0) [0 bytes] ||
Heliophysics Missions
Earth Science Missions
Planetary Missions
Communications Satellites
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LCRD Instrument Animation
LCRD deploys and points toward Earth || lcup102002102_print.jpg (1024x576) [186.6 KB] || lcup1020_web.png (320x180) [102.3 KB] || lcup1020_thm.png (80x40) [6.4 KB] || frames/1280x720_16x9_30p/LCRD-uptoearth/ (1280x720) [64.0 KB] || LCRD-UpToEarth-final.mov (1280x720) [928.8 MB] || LCRD-UpToEarth-final.webmhd.webm (960x540) [13.3 MB] ||
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TDRS Heart of Communication
The most recent evaluations of NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) project confirmed all systems go for TDRS-K, a third generation upgrade of the orbiting communications network. TDRS-K is scheduled for launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida during the 2012 holiday season. ||
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TDRS-K Video File
NASA is preparing to launch the first in a series of three third generation advanced Tracking and Data Relay Satellites, known as TDRS-K. This latest addition to the fleet of seven will augment a space communications network that provides the critical path for high data-rate communication to the International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope, past shuttle missions and a host of other spacecraft. It has been 10 years since NASA last launched a TDRS. This launch is the beginning of a welcome replenishment to the space network, which has served numerous national and international space missions since 1983. ||