Non-Commercial Satellite Monitoring Websites (MLA)
Scope: non-commercial (nonprofit, government/agency, community, or personal/open-source) sites whose primary purpose is tracking/monitoring satellites (visibility, orbital data, catalogs, or signal monitoring). Some sites may accept donations; none are listed as retail/for-profit services.
Works Cited
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AMSAT. “AMSAT Live OSCAR Satellite Status Page.” AMSAT, https://www.amsat.org/status/. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
Community-reported status dashboard for amateur (OSCAR) satellites, useful for quick “is it up?” monitoring before an operation.
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AMSAT. “AMSAT Online Satellite Pass Predictions.” AMSAT, https://www.amsat.org/track/. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
Web-based pass prediction tool for amateur satellites and ISS, accepting location inputs (lat/long or grid square) for operational planning.
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AstroViewer.net. “ISS Ground Track.” AstroViewer ISS, https://www.astroviewer.net/iss/en/. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
Real-time ground track and current position display for ISS (and related tools on the site for other stations like Tiangong).
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CelesTrak. “NORAD GP Element Sets.” CelesTrak, https://www.celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
Nonprofit orbital data hub providing curated TLE/GP element sets and related documentation widely used for satellite tracking and conjunction analysis.
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European Space Agency. “Where Is the International Space Station?” ESA, https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/International_Space_Station/Where_is_the_International_Space_Station. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
Official ISS position and ground-track visualization from ESA, showing current location and recent/near-future path.
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Gunter’s Space Page. “Gunter’s Space Page.” space.skyrocket.de, https://space.skyrocket.de/index.html. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
Deep, technical satellite and mission encyclopedia; frequently used to identify spacecraft, payload details, and mission histories when monitoring activity.
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Heavens-Above. “Daily Predictions for Brighter Satellites.” Heavens-Above, https://www.heavens-above.com/AllSats.aspx. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
Location-customized pass predictions and satellite database, including ISS and many radio/visible satellites for observer scheduling.
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KeepTrack. “Keep Track - 3D Satellite Toolkit.” KeepTrack.space, https://www.keeptrack.space/app. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
Free, open-source WebGL platform for space situational awareness: visualize orbits, launches, breakup events, and large catalogs of objects.
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NASA. “Spot the Station.” NASA, https://www.nasa.gov/spot-the-station/. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
Official NASA resource for ISS viewing/alerts and tracking (currently oriented around the Spot the Station mobile app).
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McDowell, Jonathan. “GCAT: General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects.” Planet4589, https://planet4589.org/space/gcat/. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
Continuously updated public catalog of artificial space objects underpinning Jonathan’s Space Report; useful for monitoring launches, payloads, and object populations.
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SatNOGS. “SatNOGS DB.” SatNOGS DB, https://db.satnogs.org/. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
Crowdsourced, machine-readable database of satellites/transmitters/launches used for RF monitoring and scheduling observations.
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SatNOGS. “SatNOGS Network.” SatNOGS Network, https://network.satnogs.org/. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
Global, community-run ground-station network interface for scheduling and sharing satellite observations from distributed stations.
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Satobs.org. “Visual Satellite Observer’s Home Page.” Satobs.org, https://www.satobs.org/. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
Long-running resource hub for visual satellite observers (including SeeSat-L archives and practical observing/prediction resources).
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Space-Track.org. “Space-Track.org.” Space-Track.org, https://www.space-track.org/. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
Official US Government portal for space situational awareness data sharing; primary source for many public-orbit data workflows (account required).
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Yoder, James. “Stuff in Space.” Stuff in Space, https://cp4.rkas.net/. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
Interactive WebGL visualization of objects in Earth orbit using orbit data from Space-Track; useful for macro-level monitoring and education.
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Gregorius, Michael. “What’s in Space.” What’s in Space, https://whatsin.space/. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
Real-time 3D orbit map updated with Space-Track orbit data; web-based visualization for monitoring objects and orbits.