Satvis: 3D satellite tracker and pass predictor

Satvis is a free, open-source satellite tracker that runs in the browser. It draws more than 12,000 satellites on a 3D globe in real time, across fourteen catalogue groups: Starlink, GPS and the other GNSS constellations, weather and Earth-observation craft, the ISS and other crewed stations. Tell it where you are and it works out when each one passes overhead. The sky view then trades the globe for a ground-level camera aimed by your phone's compass and gyroscope. You look for the satellite in the sky rather than on a map of it.

What it does

• Sets a ground station from geolocation or a point you pick on the map
• Lists upcoming passes and sends a local browser notification before one starts
• Draws orbit tracks, ground tracks, sensor cones and 3D models per satellite
• Switches catalogue groups on and off, or searches out a single satellite
• Installs as a Progressive Web App, on a phone or a desktop

Where the data comes from

Element sets come from CelesTrak as OMM JSON, the format replacing TLE for new objects, and a Cloudflare Worker refreshes them every six hours. Positions are propagated from them in the browser with SGP4, through satellite.js. A snapshot of the same element sets ships inside the app, so everything still works offline.

Built with

CesiumJS draws the globe, Vue and Nuxt UI the interface, and Workbox the service worker. Everything but the data API is static files on a CDN, so there is no server to run. Created by Florian Mauracher and maintained on github.com/Flowm/satvis under the MIT licence. An iOS app wraps the same site and schedules pass notifications with UserNotifications.