How to solve the Outer Wilds DLC deep space satellite picture puzzle

(Image credit: Mobius Digital)

Early in the Outer Wilds DLC you’ll have to solve a puzzle based on deep space satellite pictures in the radio tower on Timber Hearth for Echoes of the Eye. You know that one of these pictures is different from the others, and that the puzzle solution will help you find the next step in the expansion to progress. We’ll show you the picture puzzle solution below so you can keep exploring the Outer Wilds.

Outer Wilds DLC Deep Space Satellite pictures puzzle solution

Outer Wilds DLC radio tower pictures — (Image credit: Mobius Digital)

The photos from the deep space satellite are hung inside the radio tower, and the clues given to you says that there’s some anomaly in one of them. The one you actually need to look at closely as the one labeled at being taken at a 40 degree angle. Though it’s not obvious at first glance, the object partially covering the sun is something you’ve never seen before, not one of the normal planets of the system. This information can lead you to find the next step, though if you’re still not certain, we can show you exactly what to do below.

Where to go after the radio tower in the Outer Wilds DLC

Outer Wilds DLC radio tower satellite puzzle solution — (Image credit: Mobius Digital)

Now you have the clues needed, head to the Deep Space Satellite itself. It’s a new feature on your map, zoom out about as far as it can go and you should see a red dot orbiting at a serious distance around the sun, further than any planet. We’re talking deep space, after all - thirty kilometers at least. If you’re not certain, the new signal obtained from the tower can point you in the right direction.

Once you find it, there’ll be a reading on the Satellite’s exterior showing what degree it’s angled at. This slowly changes over the course of the loop, and here’s where things get tricky - there’s no way to change this angle manually, and the one you need is 40 degrees. If you head to the Satellite early in the loop you can catch it, but if you miss this chance you’ll basically need to restart, especially if you want any meaningful time to spend in the area that it opens up.

Once you see it at 40 degrees, follow the line of the satellite’s camera and look back at the sun. You’ll see a mysterious spherical object pass in front of it, one that was invisible until it caused this eclipse effect. Something very big has just given away its hiding place by accident.

That’s your target - get back in your ship and fly towards it as fast as possible, before it moves away from the sun and goes invisible again. Simply head towards it as fast as possible, and when your ship is about to collide, you’ll be transported automatically to the new area. The new area will also be added to your Ship’s Log, so you’ll be able to target it and fly straight back without having to go through this whole Deep Space Satellite process in future loops.

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Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.