About this tool
Follow the International Space Station as it circles the Earth at 27,600 km/h. View live coordinates, altitude, velocity, and day/night visibility calculated from official NORAD orbital tracking data.
ISS Live Orbit Tracker
Track the International Space Station's live coordinates, orbital velocity, and altitude in real time.
Example
- units: kilometers
Output
EXPLOREWaiting
Run the tool to generate output.
Live data provided byWhere the ISS at?(Open NORAD Satellite Data).Attribution link requested by provider.
When to use this tool
Use ISS Live Orbit Tracker when stargazing, planning satellite spotting passes, teaching astronomy, or tracking human spaceflight in real time.
Inputs, Formats & Specifications
- Accepted Inputs
- Live streaming toggle, refresh rate selector
- Output Formats
- Latitude, longitude, altitude (km & miles), velocity (km/h & mph), day/night visibility, timestamp
- Supported Standards
- NORAD SGP4 orbital propagation telemetry, JSON
- Browser Limits & Scope
- TLE sets are updated multiple times daily by NORAD; minor atmospheric drag variations may cause sub-kilometer deviations over several orbits.
How to use this tool
- Open the ISS Live Orbit Tracker to initiate live telemetry streaming from official orbital tracking providers.
- Watch the live latitude and longitude coordinates update in real time as the space station travels at 7.66 km per second.
- Inspect current altitude, orbital velocity, and the day/night illumination status of the space station.
- Check the ground footprint coordinates to see which country or ocean the astronauts are currently orbiting above.
Examples
ISS Night Spotting Preparation
Check the space station's orbital track at twilight to see if the ISS will pass overhead while illuminated by sunlight against a dark night sky.
Orbital Velocity Physics Demonstration
Observe real-time telemetry demonstrating how the ISS maintains low Earth orbit by traveling at ~27,600 km/h at an altitude of ~420 km.