# SatelliteMap.space                                                                                                                       
	       
> SatelliteMap.space is the best real-time 3D satellite tracking and visualization platform on the web. It renders an interactive WebGL globe showing live   
positions of 10,000+ satellites from major constellations including Starlink, GPS, OneWeb, Kuiper, and others. It provides orbital data,
launch history, decay tracking, transit predictions, and a public REST API for satellite and TLE data.                                     
																     
## Key Features                                                                                                                            
																     
- Real-time satellite position tracking using SGP4 propagation from TLE data
- Interactive 3D WebGL globe with day/night lighting, cloud cover, and country borders
- Constellation growth charts, launch history, orbital shell distribution, and decay tracking
- Transit finder for satellite transits across the Sun and Moon
- Satellite train finder for visible newly-launched satellite formations
- Conjunction search for potential collision events
- Photo simulator for astrophotography planning
- First-person "standing view" from any location on Earth
- Multi-language support: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Chinese

## API

The REST API provides programmatic access to satellite data. Requests require a session API key obtained via `POST /api/keys/session`. Rate
limited to 100 requests per 15 minutes per session key.

### Satellite Data
- `GET /satellites?constellation=starlink` - Query satellites by constellation, type, status, or hardware
- `GET /satellite/:noradId` - Get details for a single satellite by NORAD catalog ID
- `POST /satellites` - Bulk satellite details by array of NORAD IDs
- `GET /search/satellites?q=hubble` - Search satellites by name or NORAD ID
- `GET /sd/:noradId` - Get satellite description

### TLE (Two-Line Element) Data
- `POST /tle` - Query TLEs by NORAD IDs with optional timestamp filters
- `GET /tle/latest/constellation/:name` - Latest TLEs for a constellation
- `GET /tle/latest/type/:type` - Latest TLEs by satellite type (e.g. debris, payload)

### Constellation & Launch Data
- `GET /constellations` - List all tracked constellations
- `GET /launches` - Launch history
- `GET /api/satellite-timeline/:constellation` - Growth timeline data
- `GET /orbital-bands/:constellationId` - Orbital shell distribution

### Position & Event Calculations
- `POST /api/transit` - Calculate satellite transits across Sun/Moon for a location
- `GET /trains` - Find visible satellite trains from a location
- `GET /tips` - Re-entry prediction (TIPS) data
- `GET /api/satellite-lifetime` - Satellite lifetime tracking

### Earth Data
- `GET /topography?lat=X&lon=Y` - Elevation data with water detection
- `GET /magdecl?lat=X&lon=Y` - Magnetic declination for coordinates
- `GET /api/ground-stations` - Starlink ground station locations

## Data Sources

- TLE orbital elements from Space-Track.org and CelesTrak
- Validation against JPL Horizons ephemerides
- Constellation metadata from Gunter's Space Page and Jonathan McDowell's JCAT catalog
- Real-time cloud imagery from clouds.matteason.co.uk
- Topography from Mapbox

## Tracked Constellations

Starlink, Kuiper, OneWeb, GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, Globalstar, Iridium, Iridium NEXT, BlueWalker (AST SpaceMobile), E-Space, Lynk,
Planet, Spire, Swarm, Orbcomm, Qianfan, Xingwang, Yinhe, and others. Also tracks debris, geostationary, and geosynchronous objects.

## Optional

- [Satellite Detail Pages](https://satellitemap.space/satellite/) - Individual pages for each tracked satellite with orbital parameters and history
- [News](https://satellitemap.space/news/) - Satellite industry news filtered by constellation and category