How to Track Satellites Live: ISS, Starlink & More

Watching a spacecraft cross the sky becomes much easier when you can see where it is now and where it is going next. On SpaceTracker.live, you can track satellites live using an interactive Earth map, current orbital calculations and observer-based pass predictions. The same basic workflow works for the International Space Station, Starlink spacecraft, weather satellites, navigation satellites and many other objects in Earth orbit.

Start with a satellite name or NORAD ID

The fastest way to begin is to use the site search. You can type a familiar name such as ISS, Hubble, Starlink or NOAA 19. You can also search by a NORAD catalog number when you know the exact object you want. A NORAD ID is a numeric catalog identifier assigned to an object in Earth orbit, and it is often the most reliable way to distinguish satellites with similar names.

For large constellations, use the dedicated directory. The Starlink tracker, Amazon Leo tracker, OneWeb tracker and weather satellite directory let you browse or search the satellites in that category and then press Track beside the object you want.

Read the live position on the map

Once a satellite is selected, its current position is propagated from up-to-date orbital elements. The map and telemetry panel update continuously, showing the spacecraft's sub-satellite point and key orbital values. For an Earth-orbiting satellite, the most useful live numbers are:

• Latitude: the north/south position of the point directly below the satellite.
• Longitude: the east/west position of that point on Earth.
• Altitude: the satellite's approximate height above Earth's surface.
• Speed: the propagated orbital velocity at the current instant.

These values can change every second because a low-Earth-orbit satellite travels several kilometres each second. The numbers are calculated from orbital elements using the SGP4/SDP4 propagation model; they are not direct telemetry transmitted by the spacecraft.

Why the orbit line moves across the world map

The orbit path shows where the satellite is expected to travel over the next part of its orbit and where it has recently been. Earth continues rotating underneath the orbital plane, so successive ground tracks do not usually fall on exactly the same longitude. The tracker also handles the International Date Line so the orbit does not incorrectly draw a giant line across the map.

Set your location to calculate local passes

A satellite can be above Earth without being above your horizon. To calculate what you can observe locally, select your location. You can allow browser geolocation or enter coordinates manually. The tracker then calculates azimuth, elevation and range relative to your observing point.

Azimuth tells you the compass direction. Elevation tells you how high the satellite is above the horizon. An elevation of 0° is at the geometric horizon, 45° is halfway up the sky and 90° is directly overhead. Range is the line-of-sight distance between your observer position and the satellite.

Understand the seven-day geometric pass list

After your location is set, compatible Earth-orbit trackers calculate upcoming geometric passes. A pass begins when the satellite rises above the geometric horizon, reaches a maximum elevation and ends when it sets below the horizon. The pass list shows the start time, direction, maximum elevation and duration so you can decide which passes are worth watching.

A geometric pass is not automatically a visible pass. Optical visibility also depends on whether the spacecraft is illuminated by the Sun, how dark the sky is, the object's brightness, clouds, terrain and local light pollution. That is why SpaceTracker.live clearly labels these calculations as geometric passes unless complete visibility conditions are being evaluated.

Tracking the ISS

The ISS live tracker is a good place to learn the interface. The International Space Station is in low Earth orbit and moves quickly across the map. Set your location and check the next geometric pass card. Higher-elevation passes generally place the station higher in your sky than low-elevation passes.

Tracking Starlink satellites

Starlink is a constellation rather than one satellite, so there is no single universal “Starlink position.” Open the Starlink Satellite Directory, search the available spacecraft and choose one specific Starlink satellite. After you press Track, the site opens the same full live-map experience used for individual satellites, including current position, speed, observer geometry and pass predictions.

Weather, navigation and communications satellites

You can use the same process for weather satellites, GOES spacecraft, GPS satellites, OneWeb, Iridium NEXT and other categories. Geostationary satellites behave differently from low-Earth-orbit objects because their orbital period roughly matches Earth's rotation, so they can appear nearly fixed over one longitude.

Deep-space spacecraft use a different tracking system

Voyager, JWST and interplanetary missions should not be treated like ordinary Earth satellites. SpaceTracker.live therefore keeps the deep-space tracker separate from the SGP4 engine. Deep-space mission pages use NASA/JPL Horizons ephemerides to display spacecraft vectors, distance from Earth, distance from the Sun, light time and speed. The visual scene uses a compressed scale because the true distances between the Sun, Earth, JWST and the Voyager probes are too different to show usefully at one linear scale.

How accurate is live satellite tracking?

Accuracy depends on the quality and age of the orbital elements, the propagation model, the object being tracked and the time interval from the orbital-element epoch. SpaceTracker.live caches source data so the site does not overload public data providers, and it shows calculated positions rather than claiming direct spacecraft telemetry. For casual observing and education, current orbital data can be very useful; it should not be used for navigation, collision avoidance or other safety-critical decisions.

Quick way to begin

1. Open the Satellite Directory or search by satellite name.
2. Select the exact satellite you want.
3. Watch latitude, longitude, altitude and speed update on the live map.
4. Set your observer location.
5. Check azimuth, elevation and the next seven days of geometric passes.