Houston we had(!) a (bit of a) problem

As of March 23, 2023, NASA terminated all live streaming via Ustream and switched everything over to YouTube. When that happened all ISS-Aboves shipped before March 1st, 2023 (ver 2.270 and older) will no longer be displaying the live earth views.

Previously the ISS-Above supported live streaming from YouTube, however, a recent API change at YouTube means we need to install a big update to the video plugin we use. We have this working right now for new shipments and we are testing pushing this update to all devices installed worldwide (around 4,500 devices).

I should complete the testing by the end of this week (Apr 9, 2023) and your device will automatically install this update as soon as it is made available.

In the meantime, you can view the live video feeds on our online tracker http://track.issabove.info/

UPDATE April 14, 2023

Devices worldwide have been installing the update - and it all looks to be going very smoothly. Thanks to all the beta testers who allowed their devices to install the update early. That really allowed me to shake down some issues before sending the update to everyone.

Over 2,000 devices have installed the update!

As expected, devices older than April 2018 cannot install the new video plugin. I have already begun shipping replacement SD cards to the dozens of customers who have placed an order for them. Just so you know - the $20 cost barely covers the microSD card + shipping costs, let alone the time it takes for me to handle it all. I am committed you all get the benefit from your ISS-Above come-what-may!

What is that audio?

I’ve had a few customers contact me because they were hearing odd audio chatter on the NEW live video feed. Apparently, one of them heard some Russian voices in their living room in the middle of the night and got a little worried.

I forgot to mention that NASA is now streaming what’s called “Space to Ground” audio along with the live video feed. What you may hear is communications between Astronauts / Cosmonauts and flight controllers at Mission Control in Johnson Space Center/ Marshall Space Flight Center and Moscow.

If you do not want to hear that you’ll need to mute the TV. I am looking at adding an option to the ISS-Above settings to allow you to disable the audio without needing to mute your TV.

UPDATE April 12, 2023

The new version is being rolled out to devices worldwide right now. Your device should receive the update within the next day or so. Those of you who have registered will have received an email from me with further information (not a lot has changed from what was shared in the April 9 update below)

UPDATE April 9, 2023

After two weeks of extensive work/beta testing, we are going to push the new version out to all users within the next day or so. There are however some important things to know.

The video plugin update is compatible with all ISS-Above devices that were shipped from MARCH 2018 onwards.

If your device is older, and the plugin cannot be updated/installed with this new version, you will see a message at the bottom of the info screens saying “Bad Video Plugin - contact support@issabove.com”

If you see this message - there is a SOLUTION - but it will require us to ship you a NEW microSD card containing the latest version of the ISS-Above code. See below. If you are a bit of a “Raspberry Pi Wizard” you can also purchase the download image for just $5 and install that on your own MicroSD card (We’ll have that download option available towards the end of the week.

If your device is not one of the “lucky ones” that can install this new update/fix automatically - I am so sorry for this inconvenience.

I’ve prided myself on having some customers who have been using their ISS-Above device trouble-free since 2014 - and all prior updates installed without any issues. This is the FIRST time I’ve encountered an issue (outside of my control) that I have been unable to fix FOR EVERYONE with a FREE over-the-air update.

NEED A NEW MICROSD CARD?: If your ISS-Above is no longer functioning (or if you get that “Bad Video Plugin” message) - that’s VERY EASY to fix simply by replacing the MicroSD card. The cost is just $20 for a new ISS-Above microSD card. That new microSD card will have the latest video plugin already installed and will work with the new YouTube live stream. You can purchase the new microSD card by clicking the button below. Use promo code FIXVIDEO on the checkout page and the price will drop to $20.