Live satellites over Europe’s space sites.

From the Darmstadt control room that flies Sentinel-2 to Europe’s spaceport on the coast of South America, each place below helps Europe reach orbit or work there. Select a site to send the film there and compute what crosses its sky today, in local time.

 

Next over ESOC: Computing… · Sentinel-2B

Computed from today’s orbital elements from CelesTrak. Drag the globe, scroll or pinch to zoom.

Place

Satellite

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About Sentinel-2B

A Copernicus satellite imaging land and coasts in colour and infrared.

  • Launched on Vega from Kourou, French Guiana, on 7 March 2017.
  • It images a 290 km swath in 13 spectral bands.
  • A dedicated team at ESA’s control centre in Darmstadt flies it.

Mission control

ESOC in Darmstadt, ESA’s mission control centre

The European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt is where ESA flies its satellites. A dedicated flight control team here runs the Sentinel-2 satellites, which photograph land and coasts for the EU’s Copernicus programme.

Sentinel-2B images a strip of Earth 290 km wide in 13 spectral bands. The globe shows it on today’s orbit, crossing the poles.

Run by
European Space Agency
Flies
Sentinel-2, among others
Shown
Sentinel-2B, orbit

Make this film in the studio ESA: Sentinel-2 operations

Satellites over six European space sites.

ESOC in Darmstadt, ESA’s mission control centre

49.8711° N, 8.6228° E

Darmstadt, Germany. Run by: European Space Agency.

  • ESOC was inaugurated in Darmstadt on 8 September 1967 with 95 employees.
  • ESRO-2B, launched on 17 May 1968, was the first satellite controlled from ESOC.
  • Sentinel-2B launched on 7 March 2017 into a sun-synchronous orbit at 786 km.

Sources: esoc.esa.int, esa.int

ESTEC in Noordwijk, where ESA tests its satellites

52.2172° N, 4.4214° E

Noordwijk, Netherlands. Founded: 1968.

  • ESTEC’s Test Centre tested 22 Galileo satellites between May 2013 and August 2017.
  • Galileo 27 and 28 launched together on a Soyuz from Kourou on 5 December 2021.
  • ESTEC’s Space Expo visitor centre opened in 1990.

Sources: esa.int, en.wikipedia.org

The Guiana Space Centre, Europe’s spaceport in Kourou

5.1690° N, 52.6903° W

Kourou, French Guiana. Latitude: 5° N.

  • The centre’s first launch, a Diamant-B, took place on 10 March 1970.
  • An Ariane 5 launched the James Webb Space Telescope from ELA-3 on 25 December 2021.
  • Ariane 6’s launch complex, ELA-4, was inaugurated on 28 September 2021.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org, science.nasa.gov

Andøya, Norway’s spaceport, where a rocket first reached orbit in 2026

69.1087° N, 15.5887° E

Nordland, Norway. Operator: Andøya Space.

  • The range’s first rocket, Ferdinand 1, launched on 18 August 1962.
  • Spectrum’s first flight, on 30 March 2025, ended about 30 seconds after liftoff.
  • Norway’s Ministry of Trade and Industry owns 90 per cent of Andøya Space; Kongsberg owns 10.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Esrange, a rocket range and satellite station near Kiruna

67.8939° N, 21.1069° E

Near Kiruna, Sweden. Opened: September 1966.

  • By 2016 Esrange had launched 550 rockets and 520 balloons.
  • Spaceport Esrange, SSC’s orbital launch complex, was inaugurated on 13 January 2023.
  • The base covers 20 km², and its rocket impact area 5,600 km².

Sources: esa.int, sscspace.com, en.wikipedia.org

SaxaVord, a spaceport at the top of Shetland

60.8184° N, 0.7692° W

Unst, Shetland. Licensed: December 2023.

  • In April 2024 SaxaVord gained a range licence covering the sea and airspace to its north.
  • RFA One’s first stage was destroyed in a static-fire explosion at SaxaVord on 19 August 2024.
  • In August 2025 the CAA licensed Skyrora for up to 16 suborbital launches a year here.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Satellite films for European space teams, on every screen.

A mission page, a phone, an exhibition screen, a classroom TV and a programme review all run the same live film. At desktop width, the device next to the steps runs the film for whichever site and satellite you have selected.

  1. The live player on a mission page, Sentinel-2B over Darmstadt

    A live satellite tracker for a European mission page

    Your satellite over your own site, worked out afresh in the visitor’s browser every time the page opens.

    WhoSpace companies, agencies, research institutes

    WhenLaunches, data releases, funding calls

  2. The same player on a phone, Sentinel-2B over Darmstadt

    A link partners open on any phone

    Send one link, and partners across Europe follow your satellite on their phones up to its next pass over your site.

    WhoConsortium partners, customers, new hires

    WhenLaunch and the first weeks in orbit

  3. Display mode on a portrait screen, Sentinel-2B among the satellites in the catalogue

    A satellite wall for an exhibition hall

    A portrait screen that shows your satellite and its neighbours in orbit where they are right now, from opening to closing time.

    WhoVisitor centres, trade fairs, science museums

    WhenExhibitions and open days

  4. Display mode on a 16:9 screen, Sentinel-2B’s ground track over Europe

    Satellite passes for European classrooms

    Show pupils the band of Europe that Sentinel-2B photographs on every orbit, then time its next pass over the school.

    WhoSchools, universities, science centres

    WhenA geography lesson, an Earth observation module

  5. Presenter mode with Sentinel-2B over Darmstadt

    A satellite orbit film for a review board

    Full screen, film only, a clicker for each beat, and the numbers worked out on the day of the meeting.

    WhoMission managers, founders, consortium leads

    WhenMission reviews, funding rounds, ESA proposals

Satellites over Europe, computed today.

The films begin from each satellite’s latest orbital elements on CelesTrak, collected every two hours, and carry the orbit forward from there with the standard propagation model.

Times follow each site’s own clock: Central European time in Darmstadt, Noordwijk, Andøya and Kiruna, UK time on Shetland, and French Guiana time in Kourou.

Orbital elements
CelesTrak, every 2 hours
Times
Each site’s own time zone
Accurate for
Presentation, not navigation

Pricing for live satellite films.

Each plan below is playing its own film: the real player, computed from today’s orbital elements.

Living Film

A live satellite film for your website

US$200per film, per monthA$290per film, per month, ex GST€180per film, per month¥32,000per film, per monthCN¥1,350per film, per month

A mission page that stays true: your satellite, live on your site, and MP4s whenever you need a file.

  • Your satellite, site and brand, recomputed daily
  • A live embed locked to your domain
  • 1080p MP4 exports from our film pipeline
  • Cancel any month
Choose your film

Sentinel-2B over ESOC, as it plays on a mission page. Drag the globe.

Display

A satellite display for a lobby or event

US$410per screen, per monthA$590per screen, per month, ex GST€370per screen, per month¥65,000per screen, per monthCN¥2,750per screen, per month

A lobby TV, kiosk or event screen that runs on its own for weeks.

  • Display mode, set up with one link
  • Your satellites and site, rotating through every story
  • Layouts for portrait, 16:9, 21:9, 4:3 and square
  • Presenter mode for pitches and briefings
Start a display

Sentinel-2B over ESOC on a 16:9 lobby screen, in display mode.

Mission Film commission

A custom satellite launch film

US$4,800fromA$6,900from, ex GST€4,300from¥760,000fromCN¥32,000from

A custom film of your hardware and mission, cut for the launch video, the deck and the socials.

  • Designed by Vlad Kutepov: storyboard, scenes and edits made with you
  • Built on the same live engine
  • Every export the Living Film includes
  • A 25% deposit of US$1,200 books the workA 25% deposit of A$1,725 books the workA 25% deposit of €1,075 books the workA 25% deposit of ¥190,000 books the workA 25% deposit of CN¥8,000 books the work
Pay the deposit

A film cut: this page’s satellites as a constellation, framed like the export.

Prices are in US dollars, and checkout charges the price shown.Prices are in Australian dollars and exclude GST.Prices are in euros, and checkout charges the price shown.Prices are in Japanese yen, and checkout charges the price shown.Prices are in Chinese yuan, and checkout charges the price shown.

Make your film in the studio.

Pick a satellite and a place, and the film is computed live. Export it as an MP4, or put it on your own screen.

Make a film over ESOC See pricing
The Orbiwatch studio on a desktop: the satellite list, the live Kanyini film and the design panel
The studio on a phone: the live film above Kanyini’s numbers, with the bar for satellite, place, design, story and export