The private space company SpaceX has decided to take its archive of photos into a brave new world — that of Creative Commons.
Elon Musk’s company has placed many of its photos in a new Flickr account and placed them under a “some rights reserved” license that makes them easier for organisations like us — and the public — to publish.
The photos are stunning, including shots of its launches and even a satellite falling into orbit taken by a robotic camera.
The move brings SpaceX almost into line with NASA, which — as a government agency — automatically places its films and photos into the public domain. While SpaceX didn’t quite go that far - despite calls from many in the press - it does allow new audiences to observe its undoubted progress for the first time.
Here are some of our favourites.