A few years ago, viewers who were enthusiastic about space travel were thrilled.

NASA also made the broadcast of the TV program intended for the general public available in Europe.
The program could be received in Europe, North Africa and West Asia via Eutelsat "Hotbird".

A second channel in UHD format followed a little later. Although there were hardly any informative contributions, there were images of solar flares or star clusters in distant galaxies in brilliant high resolution.

At least the preparations for important rocket launches and the astronauts' take-offs were in many cases accompanied live on both channels. The viewer was there live (apart from the technical transmission delay).

At the end of August, NASA stopped providing the programs again. They blasted off the screen as they want to want to concentrate on the internet stream. This also gives the managers a more detailled image of the audience watching. This is rather vague when broadcasting tv or radio as there is no proper way to count the people following.

This means that the previously convenient and inexpensive reception option will be abolished. The switch to "Full Stream Ahead" is a big step backwards, especially in regions with poor Internet coverage. Instead of one-off costs for setting up the antenna, you now have to pay permanently for a fast Internet connection if you want to stay a member of the audience and switch to "plus.nasa.gov".

NASA probably has to save the money for the satellite license so that "more important" projects on the way to Mars can be financed.