Live satellites over US space centers.

Six national space sites, from Kennedy, where Hubble launched, to the South Dakota center that flies Landsat. Pick one for today’s passes, in its time zone.

 

Next over NASA Kennedy: Computing… · Hubble

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

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About Hubble

NASA’s space telescope, observing the universe from low Earth orbit since 1990.

  • Space Shuttle Discovery launched it from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B on 24 April 1990.
  • Shuttle crews visited it five times to repair and upgrade it.
  • It is flown from the Space Telescope Operations Control Center at Goddard in Maryland.
  • On a clear, dark sky it can be seen without a telescope, shortly after sunset or before sunrise.

Where Hubble left Earth

Kennedy Space Center, the launch site that sent Hubble to orbit

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Merritt Island is NASA’s front door in Florida. Its Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit, open since 2013, includes a life-size Hubble replica.

The real telescope left Launch Complex 39B aboard Discovery on 24 April 1990. The globe shows it now, about 470 km up, on an orbit tilted 28.5 degrees: almost exactly Kennedy’s own latitude.

Owned by
NASA, run by Delaware North
Hubble launched
24 April 1990, Discovery
Shown
Hubble, orbit

Make this film in the studio Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

Satellites over six US space centers.

Kennedy Space Center, the launch site that sent Hubble to orbit

28.5233° N, 80.6819° W

Merritt Island, Florida. Owned by: NASA, run by Delaware North.

  • Founded on 1 July 1962 as NASA’s Launch Operations Center, it was renamed for Kennedy in 1963.
  • Atlantis, on display here, flew 33 missions and travelled about 203 million km.
  • Discovery released Hubble into orbit on 25 April 1990, a day after launch.

Sources: nasa.gov, kennedyspacecenter.com

Goddard Space Flight Center, where NASA built PACE

38.9922° N, 76.8525° W

Greenbelt, Maryland. Agency: NASA.

  • Goddard was established on 1 May 1959, named for rocket pioneer Robert H. Goddard.
  • Robert Goddard flew the first liquid-fuelled rocket on 16 March 1926 at Auburn, Massachusetts.
  • PACE launched on a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral on 8 February 2024.

Sources: nasa.gov

Wallops, NASA’s launch site on the Virginia coast

37.9333° N, 75.4678° W

Wallops Island, Virginia. Rockets since: 1945.

  • LADEE, the first Moon mission launched from Wallops, lifted off on a Minotaur V on 6 September 2013.
  • Antares made its first flight from Wallops’ Pad-0A on 21 April 2013.

Sources: nasa.gov, svs.gsfc.nasa.gov

Johnson Space Center, Mission Control for the space station

29.5583° N, 95.0889° W

Houston, Texas. Founded: 1961.

  • The Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory pool is 61.5 m long, 31.1 m wide and 12.2 m deep.
  • The centre took Lyndon B. Johnson’s name on 19 February 1973, by an act of the Senate.

Sources: nasa.gov, en.wikipedia.org

JPL, the Pasadena lab that runs NASA’s Deep Space Network

34.2000° N, 118.1717° W

Pasadena, California. Founded: 1936.

  • JPL designed, built and operated Explorer 1, the first US satellite, launched in 1958.
  • NASA’s five successful Mars rovers were all designed, built and operated by JPL.
  • JPL’s campus covers 168 acres (68 hectares) in the foothills near Pasadena.

Sources: jpl.nasa.gov

The USGS EROS Center, home of Landsat 8 and 9

43.7359° N, 96.6255° W

Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Run by: US Geological Survey.

  • EROS’s permanent building was dedicated on 7 August 1973 before a crowd of about 2,000.
  • EROS delivered more than a million Landsat scenes in fiscal 2009, up from 25,000 in 2001.
  • Landsat 9 launched on 27 September 2021.

Sources: usgs.gov

Satellite films for American space teams, on every screen.

Put the film on a mission page, a phone, a visitor center screen, a classroom TV or a briefing. Wider screens show the real player in the device beside the steps, set to the site and satellite chosen above.

  1. The live player on a mission page, Landsat 9 over the EROS Center

    A live satellite tracker for an American mission page

    Your satellite over your own campus, on your own site, computed again whenever someone opens the page.

    WhoSpace companies, NASA contractors, universities

    WhenLaunches, first light, contract news

  2. The same player on a phone, Landsat 9 over the EROS Center

    A satellite link for your team’s phones

    One link opens your satellite on any phone, with a countdown to its next pass over your site.

    WhoStaff, partners, the families of the team

    WhenLaunch day and first light

  3. Display mode on a portrait screen, Landsat 9 among the satellites in the catalogue

    A lobby screen for a visitor center

    A portrait screen in the lobby with your satellite among the others in the catalogue, each where it is right now, legible from the doorway.

    WhoVisitor centers, museums, science centers

    WhenOpening hours, unattended

  4. Display mode on a 16:9 screen, Landsat 9’s ground track over the United States

    Satellite passes for American classrooms

    Follow the strip of land Landsat 9 images on each orbit across the country, and count down with the class to its next pass overhead.

    WhoSchools, community colleges, planetariums

    WhenAn Earth science unit, a club night

  5. Presenter mode with Landsat 9 over the EROS Center

    A satellite orbit film for a program review

    The film alone, full screen, stepped through with a clicker, with every figure computed the morning of the review.

    WhoProgram managers, founders, principal investigators

    WhenProgram reviews, raises, proposal briefings

Satellites over the United States, computed today.

Every film starts from the newest orbital elements CelesTrak publishes for the satellite, fetched every two hours, and runs the orbit forward from that moment.

Each site keeps its own clock: Kennedy, Goddard and Wallops read Eastern time, Houston and Sioux Falls Central, and JPL Pacific, so a pass time matches a watch there.

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

Hubble over NASA Kennedy, 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

Hubble over NASA Kennedy 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 NASA Kennedy 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