Spot the Station 4+

See The Space Station Overhead

NASA

    • 4.7 • 987 Ratings
    • Free

Screenshots

Description

For anyone who has ever gazed up at the night sky and wondered about the mysteries of the universe, witnessing the International Space Station pass overhead can be an awe-inspiring moment. The Spot the Station mobile app is designed to notify users when the space station is visible overhead from their location. It aims to broaden access and awareness of the station and NASA globally, by providing users with an opportunity to experience the wonder of the space station firsthand. The realization that there are human beings living and working in that tiny dot, orbiting the Earth at a mind-boggling speed of 17,500 miles per hour, is breathtaking. The app includes several helpful features including: 1. 2D & 3D real-time location views of the station 2. Upcoming Sighting Lists with visibility data 3. Augmented Reality (AR) view with compass and trajectory lines embedded into the camera view 4. Up-to-date NASA space station Resources & Blog 5. Privacy Settings 6. Push Notifications when the station is approaching your location.

What’s New

Version 1.6.0

* New feature on the Upcoming Sightings page to allow filtering the sightings by cloud cover. Also a new line for each sighting shows the cloud cover percentage. Climatic data is based on hourly estimates, updated once a day for the selected location and may not be accurate.
* New feature in Settings to switch the app units between Metric (default) and Imperial (US) units.
* New feature on the Upcoming Sightings page to open the Past Sightings page that shows the history of the past events for the last 2 weeks at the selected location.
* New feature on the Resources page is the Earth Science Data Resources, which includes links to NASA's Earth Information Center and Eyes on the Earth interactive tool.
* New feature on the Upcoming Sightings page to add each sighting to the phone calendar, so that earlier notifications (more than 2 hours in advance) can be customized through the calendar.
* New feature in Settings to switch the app time format between the 12-hour and 24-hour formats. The default format is according to the device settings.
* New feature on lock screen of iOS devices to show live activity countdown timer for the upcoming sightings for the selected location.
* Added zoom capability to the AR view so that users can zoom in and out using a pinch gesture when capturing pictures or video.
* Updated some of the responses for the Frequently Asked Questions on the Resources page.
* Bug fixes and third-party software maintenance updates.

Ratings and Reviews

4.7 out of 5
987 Ratings

987 Ratings

Sktaka22381 ,

Simple utility that does the job well

What’s not to love? Made by nasa for spotting the ISS. Also had AR, which is awesome and good customization for notifications. I use other sat tracking apps too, but am glad to add this to the list and will rely on it for ISS. My interest is primarily for AMSAT (amateur radio satellite communications) and love to make contact via satellites. Would be super cool to actually talk to an astronaut aboard; maybe one day. Also enjoy the ISS events such as SSTV, which you don’t even need to be licensed to receive.

It does one job, and does it well. Thanks NASA!

Developer Response ,

Thank you so much for sharing your great experience with our app! Please invite your friends and family to install and use this free app so that they can also enjoy it. We're constantly looking to improve, so feel free to share any additional thoughts or suggestions you might have.

Rogue Symmetry ,

Fixed: Won't detect location

I was very excited to find out this app exists. I immediately downloaded it. The first thing it asks was to allow notifications, which I said yes too. But the very next screen asks me to either enter my location or let the app detect my location. I've tried both options and neither one ever goes anywhere. It's just stuck on that screen and I can't do anything else with the app. This app is totally worthless in it's current state. 11/14 UPDATE: Giving three stars now since the developers addressed this issue and my review. I haven't had time to play with it but the issue I was having above has been solved. I will update my review as I get time with the app. Thanks, devs!

Developer Response ,

We appreciate your input regarding the location search/detection functionality issue. We are pleased to inform you that an updated version was released to the App Store this week (v1.2.1 on Nov 13 2023), which has resolved this issue. Please install the updated version and test the app again. As the app grew, we encountered some bugs. We sincerely appreciate your understanding as we improve the user experience. We believe these enhancements will provide a smoother experience. Thank you for sticking with us as the app improves. We understand the frustration that bugs can cause and are committed to fixing them quickly. Your patience and feedback are invaluable during this phase. We are working hard to enhance the user experience and would be delighted if you could try the updated version and let us know your thoughts with an updated review and rating.

sdm120 ,

Location FIXED with the latest update

As an old IT guy, I appreciate the dev team responding to my review and fixing the bug. Great job guys (and girls)! Updated the app and problem fixed.
I like the layout and options. I look forward to lots of station spotting!

Old review: Found my closest location on the web version but the IOS App doesn’t get past the search. I tried detecting and putting in a manual location. Nothing happens so I can’t use the app. Looking forward to when it is fixed.

Developer Response ,

We appreciate your input regarding the location search/detection functionality issue. We are pleased to inform you that an updated version was released to the App Store this week (v1.2.1 on Nov 13 2023), which has resolved this issue. Please install the updated version and test the app again. As the app grew, we encountered some bugs. We sincerely appreciate your understanding as we improve the user experience. We believe these enhancements will provide a smoother experience. Thank you for sticking with us as the app improves. We understand the frustration that bugs can cause and are committed to fixing them quickly. Your patience and feedback are invaluable during this phase. We are working hard to enhance the user experience and would be delighted if you could try the updated version and let us know your thoughts with an updated review and rating.

App Privacy

The developer, NASA, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy.

Data Not Linked to You

The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:

  • Location
  • User Content
  • Diagnostics

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

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