While photographing Texas from the International Space Station, astronaut Koichi Wakata spotted Starbase, the launch base for SpaceX rockets. He then asked his followers if they could catch a glimpse of the installation. You have been chewed out of work.
Astronauts sitting on the ISS like to tinker with the earthlings below. Last summer, Samantha Cristoforetti shared a snapshot showing a bright light in broad daylight. This came from an Israeli solar thermal power plant. Attending shifts aboard the International Space Station, Koichi Wakata recently flew over Texas. When he posted the photo on Twitter, he asked his followers if they were able to spot a famous SpaceX facility.
Unless you live in the area or are familiar with working in the astronautics industry, odds are you won’t be able to spot Starbase in the picture. So let us give you a hand. In the image above, the red circle shows SpaceX’s Starbase Launch Control Center building along with the Starbase Tracking Station.
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The starbase seen from the ISS
It is also the site of SpaceX’s Rocket Garden, which is home to several Starship spacecraft, most of which are older designs that were never launched. As for the blue circle, it shows the launch site for the next maiden test of SpaceX’s next-generation rocket, the Super Heavy.
This will attempt to transport the Starship spacecraft into orbit on a short test flight. In the future, NASA intends to use the two machines for future manned missions to the Moon and even to Mars. SpaceX has yet to confirm a date for the Super Heavy’s first launch, although it should take place in the coming months. As a reminder, the Super Heavy booster exploded during a test last July.