OrbitOps

OrbitOps is a Python command-line toolkit for satellite tracking and basic orbital analysis using publicly available CelesTrak data.

It uses Two-Line Element (TLE) data and the SGP4 propagation model to calculate spacecraft positions, velocities, and distances.

Features

• Calculate current latitude, longitude, and altitude

• Display TEME Cartesian position and velocity

• View satellite catalog information

• Search satellites by name

• Calculate 3D distance between two spacecraft

• Continuously monitor a spacecraft's calculated position

• Generate predicted satellite ground tracks on a Mercator projection

Installation

OrbitOps requires Python 3.14 or later.

Install from PyPI:

pip install orbitops

Then verify the installation:

orbitops help

Usage

OrbitOps uses NORAD Catalog Numbers to identify spacecraft.

For example, the International Space Station (ISS) has catalog number 25544.

Position

Show the calculated latitude, longitude, and altitude of a spacecraft.

orbitops position 25544

Example:

Geographic position of ISS (ZARYA)

--------------------

Latitude:  -32.7625°

Longitude: -54.1085°

Altitude:  432.53 km

TEME State

Show the spacecraft's TEME Cartesian position and velocity.

orbitops teme 25544

Position is reported in kilometers and velocity in kilometers per second.

Satellite Information

View catalog information for a spacecraft.

orbitops info 25544

This may include information such as the spacecraft name, NORAD catalog number, launch date, owner, inclination, apogee, and perigee.

Search

Search the satellite catalog by name.

orbitops search ISS

You can also use broader searches:

orbitops search STARLINK

Broad searches may match many spacecraft. The current version of OrbitOps displays the first returned result.

Distance

Calculate the current straight-line 3D distance between two spacecraft.

orbitops distance 25544 69012

The result is reported in kilometers.

The distance is calculated from both spacecraft's propagated TEME Cartesian positions and represents their instantaneous 3D separation, not distance along Earth's surface.

Watch

Continuously monitor the calculated geographic position of a spacecraft.

orbitops watch 25544

Example:

ISS (ZARYA) | Lat: 38.2841° | Lon: -72.1832° | Alt: 421.72 km

Press Ctrl+C to stop.

Ground Track

Generate a predicted ground-track visualization for a spacecraft over a specified number of minutes.

orbitops gtrack 25544 180

The ground track is displayed on a Mercator projection and includes predicted spacecraft positions over the requested time period.

The visualization includes orbital revolution coloring, UTC reference times, starting and ending positions, orbital period information, sampling information, and the TLE epoch used for propagation.

Command Reference

Command	Usage	Description
position	orbitops position <CATNR>	Show latitude, longitude, and altitude
teme	orbitops teme <CATNR>	Show TEME position and velocity
info	orbitops info <CATNR>	Show satellite catalog information
search	orbitops search <name>	Search satellites by name
distance	orbitops distance <CATNR1> <CATNR2>	Calculate 3D spacecraft separation
watch	orbitops watch <CATNR>	Continuously monitor spacecraft position
gtrack	orbitops gtrack <CATNR> <MINUTES>	Generate a predicted satellite ground track
help	orbitops help	Display the help menu

How It Works

OrbitOps retrieves publicly available orbital data from CelesTrak.

For position calculations, OrbitOps retrieves a spacecraft's TLE and uses SGP4 to propagate its orbit to the current time.

CelesTrak

    |

    | TLE

    v

OrbitOps

    |

    | SGP4

    v

Calculated spacecraft state

    |

    +--> TEME position and velocity

    |

    +--> Latitude / Longitude / Altitude

For continuous tracking, the TLE does not need to be downloaded every second. OrbitOps retrieves the orbital elements and performs subsequent propagation locally.

Data and Accuracy

OrbitOps does not receive live spacecraft telemetry.

Positions are calculated from publicly available orbital elements using SGP4. They should therefore be treated as calculated or predicted positions, not authoritative spacecraft positions.

Accuracy can be affected by factors including:

• Age of the orbital elements

• Atmospheric drag

• Spacecraft maneuvers

• Spacecraft orbit

• Time elapsed from the TLE epoch

OrbitOps is intended for educational, informational, satellite-tracking, visualization, and general orbital-analysis purposes.

Development

Clone the repository:

git clone <repository-url>

cd OrbitOps

Install the development environment:

uv sync

Run OrbitOps:

uv run orbitops position 25544

License

OrbitOps is licensed under the MIT License.

See the LICENSE file for the full license terms.

Disclaimer

OrbitOps is provided for educational, informational, and general satellite tracking purposes only.

OrbitOps does not provide authoritative spacecraft telemetry, precision orbit determination, or mission-operational data. Satellite positions and other orbital information produced by OrbitOps are calculated from publicly available orbital elements using mathematical propagation models and may contain errors or become inaccurate over time.

OrbitOps is not intended for spacecraft navigation, collision avoidance, rendezvous operations, launch operations, flight safety, mission-critical decision-making, or any other safety-critical application.

Users are responsible for independently verifying any data produced by OrbitOps before relying on it for operational purposes.

THE SOFTWARE AND ALL OUTPUT GENERATED BY THE SOFTWARE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. USE OF ORBITOPS AND RELIANCE ON ITS OUTPUT IS AT THE USER'S OWN RISK.