Blue Origin | NS-31 Mission - Broadcast Management Group

Project Overview

Broadcast Management Group, a leading provider of large-scale multicamera production management and technology, was contracted to provide technical management, infrastructure, and live broadcast production services for Blue Origin’s historic NS-31 mission, featuring an all-women crew. This mission took place at the Blue Origin Launch Facility in West Texas, 30 miles from the nearest town. With just two weeks to plan, BMG’s production management team was tasked with designing and engineering the production workflow, as well as staffing the event. BMG mobilized a 60+ person crew and the necessary technology to deliver a comprehensive live broadcast.

The production required BMG to set up a complete video village, integrate advanced broadcast technology, and provide a seamless live feed of the pre-launch show, rocket launch, astronauts’ landing, and the post-launch press conference. The event was broadcast live to a global audience, marking a historic moment in space exploration.

Services Provided

BMG provided full-service production management for the Blue Origin NS-31 mission, handling every aspect of the live broadcast—from technical infrastructure design and engineering to on-site execution. Given the remote location of the Blue Origin Launch Facility, 30 miles from the nearest town, our team was tasked with building a fully functional and reliable broadcast environment from the ground up.

To make this possible, BMG deployed multiple mobile units, including NEP’s Denali series trucks—A, B, and C units—as the heart of the production hub. These units supported high-quality transmission and required extensive integration, including redundant power sources to keep everything running smoothly, even in such a remote area.

To ensure everything ran without interruption, BMG implemented a robust fiber optic network to connect key areas like the astronaut training center and viewing stations back to the video village. Our communication system, using RTS Odin and Romeo, Reidel, ClearComm, and Unity systems, kept the 60+ person crew connected and coordinated throughout the entire production. With LiveU bonded cellular technology, backed by Starlink, we ensured real-time transmission, even in the most challenging conditions.

On the mobile stage, where the anchors’ desk was set up, we deployed four studio cameras on pedestals, a jib with a prompter, an ENG camera connected via fiber, and another ENG camera equipped with LiveU and Starlink technology. These cameras captured the anchors and key moments in the broadcast.

Across the launch site, a comprehensive camera setup was essential to capturing the event in its entirety. This included 6 drones, 6 robotic cameras, 6 tracking cameras, and 11 fixed cameras (3 of BMG’s 4K Sony PTZ cameras). With this multi-camera configuration, we ensured no moment went unseen.

Our team of over 60 crew members managed the setup, operation, and live switching of all feeds, ensuring that every moment of the pre-launch, launch, astronaut landing, and post-launch press conference was broadcast without a hitch.