ITVX literally lets you stare into space with new ‘Space Live’ livestream from the ISS

282

 

Have you ever wanted to just… stare into space? ITVX is about to make that possible, quite literally.

Launching this October, ‘Space Live’ is a brand new 24/7 livestream direct from the International Space Station, giving viewers uninterrupted ultra-high-definition views of Earth in real time. It’s the kind of thing you’d normally find in a sci-fi movie’s background screensaver, except this time it’s actually happening.

The project is a partnership between ITV Studios and British space media company Sen, which developed the SpaceTV-1 camera system now mounted on the European Space Agency’s Columbus module. Using these cameras, ‘Space Live’ will beam cinematic, constantly updating footage of our planet directly into living rooms across the UK, from vast horizon sweeps to tiny details over 240 kilometres below.

Charles Black (Sen Founder and CEO) explained the inspiration behind the mission:

“Sen was founded to democratise space through video. Partnering with ITV Studios brings our vision to life, giving millions of people the chance to see Earth exactly as astronauts see it.”

The collaboration was led by Zoo 55, ITV Studios’ digital content label, as part of its growing focus on immersive and experimental programming. And if you think that sounds like corporate speak for “we’ve invented the world’s most hypnotic screensaver”, you’re not wrong. There’s something weirdly calming about the thought of streaming the Earth in real time while you fold laundry or make a cuppa.

The dreamer who made space TV real

The idea behind Sen has been more than twenty years in the making. York-born entrepreneur Charles Black first dreamed up the concept back in the 1990s while still a teenager. Friends remember him wandering around his village wearing a white hat marked “Space TV” in biro, already obsessed with sharing views of the cosmos with anyone who wanted to look up.

At the time, the internet was barely a thing, and space broadcasting was the domain of governments, not teenagers with biro hats. So Charles took a long route to orbit, studying law, qualifying as a barrister, and predicting in a 1996 law journal that television would one day move online. He wasn’t wrong.

By 2005, he had floated his first internet business, Nasstar, on the London Stock Exchange, before selling it a few years later to pursue his original vision: building Sen. Its first cameras went live in 2019, and by 2022 they were already streaming from orbit. Now, in 2025, his dream is fully realised, and millions of people can open ITVX and see Earth exactly as astronauts do.

Charles, who is open about being diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (a form of autism), credits his focus and determination for keeping that dream alive. “Sen isn’t just a company,” he has said before. “It’s a lifelong calling to democratise space.”

Streaming the final frontier

‘Space Live’ represents ITV Studios’ boldest experiment yet, a blend of technology, art, and science designed to inspire, relax, and perhaps even humble its audience. With more viewers seeking mindful, ambient content, this collaboration positions ITV at the forefront of an entirely new type of streaming where the story isn’t written, it’s unfolding 400 kilometres above you.

And yes, you really can just sit there and stare into space. For hours. Legally.

‘Space Live’ launches Tuesday, 15th October 2025 on ITVX. The livestream will also appear on Samsung TV Plus and other global streaming platforms later this year.