Space Library The Satellite & Orbital Encyclopedia

Orbital Radar's live, interactive 3D globes — real spacecraft and surface features tracked across the Solar System. Explore the Earth satellite globe, the Moon (live orbiters, Apollo & robotic landing sites, Artemis regions), Mars (orbiters, rovers & real terrain) and the Sun (live flares, active regions & space weather). Start at the Worlds hub.

Real-time satellite tracking powered by TLE data from Space-Track and CelesTrak. Follow the ISS, Starlink trains, Amazon Leo, space telescopes, navigation constellations, debris objects and live satellite maneuvers as they orbit Earth. Each tracker shows live position, altitude, speed and orbital path — updated every second using SGP4 propagation. For the full monitoring toolkit — maneuver detection, look angles, re-entries and conjunction screening — start at the Space Situational Awareness hub.

Latest space industry headlines aggregated from leading sources — launches, missions, policy, debris events and commercial space. Updated automatically throughout the day. See also: upcoming launch schedule, latest blog coverage and space economy data.

Upcoming orbital launches from SpaceX, Rocket Lab, ULA, Arianespace, ISRO and others — auto-updated from Launch Library 2. Countdown timers, mission details, launch providers and pad locations for every mission in the next 30 days. See our blog for detailed launch coverage and analysis.

Everything you need to see — and hear — satellites. Predict ISS transits across the Sun and Moon with corridor maps and photography guides. Watch tonight's meteors on a live map of your own sky, with the best time and the meteors an hour for your town. Point your phone at the sky with Skylens AR to see satellites in augmented reality. Find out which imaging satellites photograph your location every day with Satellite Eye. Get camera settings, brightness rankings, the answer to "what is that moving light in the sky?" and live Doppler-corrected frequencies for amateur radio operators. Listen to community recordings of satellite passes, explore coverage heatmaps by grid square, and plan contacts with operators worldwide. Most satellites are visible within 1–2 hours after sunset or before sunrise. Radio passes work any time — day, night, or through clouds.

Up-to-date numbers on the orbital environment: satellite counts by country and operator, launch rates, debris statistics and object classification breakdowns — sourced from Space-Track, UCS and ESA DISCOS. As of 2026, there are approximately 16,661 active satellites and 32,064 total tracked objects in Earth orbit.

In-depth explainers on the orbital environment — from orbital mechanics and debris physics to ASAT weapons, mega-constellations, and active debris removal technologies. Written for both newcomers and professionals, each guide covers the science, the data and the real-world implications for satellites and spaceflight.

Mega-constellations are rewriting the rules of global internet access. Detailed comparisons of Starlink, Amazon Leo, OneWeb, and China's Guowang/Qianfan — covering speed, latency, coverage, pricing and satellite counts as of 2026. Starlink leads with roughly 9,898 active satellites delivering 25–220 Mbps to users in 150+ countries.

Side-by-side data tables comparing major constellations like Starlink vs Amazon Leo, global navigation systems, and super heavy-lift launch vehicles — auto-generated from Orbital Radar's live database.

See live space weather conditions right now, or read the guides: how solar activity shapes the orbital environment — from geomagnetic storms that drag satellites out of orbit to solar radio bursts that disrupt GPS. For operators, aurora watchers and anyone who depends on space-based infrastructure.

Profiles of the rockets and spacecraft that define modern spaceflight — payload capacity, flight history, reusability, crew capability and key specifications as of 2026. From record-setting workhorses to next-generation super heavy-lift vehicles and crewed capsules. SpaceX's Falcon 9 alone has completed 700 missions, while Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built.

Every active and upcoming crewed and cargo spacecraft — from NASA's Crew Dragon and deep-space Orion to Russia's Soyuz and China's Shenzhou. View the full spacecraft hub with comparison tables →

The vessels, drone ships and landing platforms that recover rockets and spacecraft after launch — SpaceX's autonomous drone ships, Dragon recovery vessels, the Octagrabber securing robot, and Rocket Lab's Return On Investment landing platform. Live AIS vessel tracking, specifications and mission history. View the full recovery fleet hub with live map and comparison table →

Live position tracking, traverse maps, raw photos and mission data for every Mars rover — Perseverance in Jezero Crater and Curiosity in Gale Crater are currently active. China's Zhurong is hibernating in Utopia Planitia. Auto-updated from NASA JPL. Opportunity holds the distance record at 45.16 km. View the full Mars rovers hub with interactive surface map →

Live 3D tracker for every spacecraft we follow beyond Earth orbit: Voyager, JWST, Parker Solar Probe, Europa Clipper, Tesla Roadster and more, with live distances, speeds and signal delays, and the Deep Space Network dishes in contact right now. Open the full 3D Deep Space Tracker →

Every major launch facility on Earth — from the historic pads at Cape Canaveral and Baikonur to the newest vertical launch complexes in northern Norway, Shetland and Arctic Sweden. Location, coordinates, orbital access, active pads, operators and launch history. View the full spaceports hub with comparison table →

Detailed case studies of the most significant fragmentation and debris events in spaceflight history — from the 2007 Fengyun-1C ASAT test to the 2024 Resurs-P1 break-up. Each page includes key facts, fragment counts, orbital persistence data and FAQs. Together, these events produced over 10,000 trackable debris fragments still orbiting Earth. Follow breaking events on our blog.

In-depth profiles of the most significant individual satellites and programmes — including the ISS, Hubble, James Webb Space Telescope and more. Orbital parameters, key facts, operational status as of 2026, and links to live tracking data.

Profiles of the major spacefaring nations and commercial satellite operators — fleet sizes, key constellations, launch capabilities, and strategic programmes as of 2026. See Satellites by Country for the full ranking of 80+ nations, or explore individual profiles from the United States and China to commercial giants like SpaceX and Planet Labs.

Profiles of the world's major space agencies — budgets, fleet sizes, key programmes, crewed capabilities, launch infrastructure and strategic priorities as of 2026. From NASA's Artemis programme to ISRO's cost-effective interplanetary missions. Compare all agencies →

The people and missions of crewed spaceflight: the complete astronaut directory, every ISS expedition crew since permanent habitation began in 2000, and the human spaceflight hub that ties the stations, vehicles and programmes together. Records, milestones and the growth of commercial crew programmes.

Every spacesuit that has carried humans into space, from Apollo's 21-layer A7L to the Axiom/Prada AxEMU being built for the Artemis Moon landings. SpaceX's EVA suit made history on Polaris Dawn as the first commercial spacewalk suit. Each profile covers specifications, mission history and comparison data. View the full space suits hub →

The defining missions of the space age — from the Mercury programme and Apollo Moon landings to the Space Shuttle era, Artemis, Mars rovers and deep-space probes. Mission profiles, timelines, crew rosters and key milestones.

Deeper dives into navigation constellations, Earth observation applications, the commercial space industry, and military satellite systems.

How big is the space industry? Market sizes, growth projections, investment flows, government budgets and revenue data for the global space economy — from satellite manufacturing and launch services to debris removal and commercial broadband. The global space economy reached an estimated $626 billion in 2025 and is projected to exceed $1 trillion by 2034.

The treaties, guidelines and agencies that govern what happens in orbit — from the foundational 1967 Outer Space Treaty to the FCC's new 5-year deorbit rule and the UN bodies that shape space sustainability.

Clear definitions of the key terms used in satellite tracking and orbital mechanics — from TLE and NORAD ID to conjunction assessment, delta-v, Kessler syndrome, Starlink, and EVAs. Each term is explained in plain language with diagrams, key data, and links to live trackers. Browse all 215 terms →