The video above is usually from the External High Definition Camera (EHDC). This video will be dark whenever the ISS is in darkness (approx half of each 92 minute orbit). There are also occasional Loss of Signal (LOS) with the ISS sometimes lasting up to 5 minutes. If the EHDC camera is unavailable for an extended period of time NASA may switch in a PRE-RECORDED video instead.

Expedition 70: There are currently seven crew members onboard the ISS. A typical expedition usually has at least six crew members for a significant portion of each expedition increment. The SpaceX Dragon allows for one extra member to join the usual launch of three astronauts. The larger crew size is a welcome addition and now allows for an expansion of the on-orbit experiment schedule.

The above video is from NASA’s ISS Live video feed. This features views from a selection of 30+ external and internal cameras on the ISS. Operators in Mission Control Houston have control over which camera is displayed to the stream. This view is most commonly used for operational purposes related to daily ISS operations. You may occasionally see a BLUE or RED screen. This happens during loss of signal when the ISS is switching data connections between different communications satellites. These LOS events can last several minutes and sometimes longer.