A fire that ignited on Monday at a pipeline east of downtown Houston is big enough for astronauts to view from space. As the fire near Deer Park and La Porte continued to burn Tuesday morning, NASA astronaut Don Pettit was able to capture a photo of the flames from a vantage point 250 miles above Earth from aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

NASA announced its SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station is aiming to launch Sept. 26 out of Florida.

The fire shot orange flame and then black smoke hundreds of feet into the air, prompting authorities to evacuate nearly 1,000 homes.

NASA selected Houston-based Intuitive Machines for a communication and navigation services contract geared toward future space missions. The contract is a five-year deal with an option for a five-year extension.

To establish a permanent base on the Moon and explore its surface, NASA needs a 21st century communications infrastructure. It chose a small Houston, Texas-based commercial space company to do the job.

NASA wants to establish a permanent human presence on the moon, but right now, astronauts have to be in direct line of sight with Earth to phone home. The space agency is looking to change that with its developing Near Space Network,