In a remote area of West Texas, 30 miles from the nearest town, Blue Origin launched its NS-31 mission, a groundbreaking crewed spaceflight featuring an all-women team. Broadcast Management Group (BMG), with a team of over 60, executed a comprehensive live production in just two weeks. Their task encompassed pre-launch, launch coverage, astronaut landing, and the post-launch press conference at Launch Site One near Van Horn, Texas.
“We’ve spent over 20 years producing large-scale, multi-camera live broadcasts, and the NS-31 mission brought all of that experience into play. We built a full video village onsite and delivered a seamless live show from one of the most remote locations we’ve worked in. It was a technically demanding production, and the team executed it to perfection,” said Todd Mason, CEO and founder of BMG.
A significant challenge in this remote environment was establishing a reliable and redundant broadcast infrastructure. BMG deployed NEP’s Denali A, B, and C mobile units as the main production control center. These units, equipped for high-bandwidth output and live switching, included redundant power sources for uninterrupted operation.
A mobile video village served as the central hub, connected via a temporary fiber-optic network to the astronaut training facility, viewing platforms, and other crucial production areas. Communications were handled by RTS, Riedel, Clear-Com, and Unity systems, ensuring real-time coordination across the vast launch facility.
For reliable global streaming, a hybrid connectivity approach was implemented, utilizing LiveU bonded cellular technology, supplemented by Starlink to overcome the lack of consistent wired internet. BMG deployed 35 cameras to capture the event.
All footage was integrated and switched live on-site. BMG also managed lighting, staging, and audio for all on-camera elements, including pre-launch and press events. Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission, a suborbital flight under the New Shepard program, launched on April 14, 2025, carrying Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez.
This mission marked the first all-women crew since Valentina Tereshkova's solo flight in 1963.