For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt.The Ground Track page displays real-time and predicted satellite positions on an interactive 3D globe or 2D map. It shows spacecraft orbital paths (ground tracks) and allows you to visualize satellite positions over time. Route:
/orbits/ground-track
Page Layout
Filtering & View Controls
Spacecraft Filter
Filter which spacecraft trajectories are displayed on the map.
Actions:
- Click to open popover dropdown
- Check/uncheck spacecraft to display
- Click Apply to confirm selection
- Click Clear All to deselect all
- Remove individual spacecraft via X button on badges
Scene Mode Toggle (2D / 3D)
Default: 2D
2D Mode Characteristics:
- Flat map projection
- Latitude limited to ±85° (Web Mercator constraint)
- No camera tilt/rotation
- Best for traditional ground track visualization
- Spherical Earth globe
- Full camera freedom (rotate, tilt, zoom)
- Realistic lighting with day/night terminator
- Required for ECI reference frame
Reference Frame Toggle (ECEF / ECI)
Default: ECEF
ECEF (Earth-Fixed):
- Standard ground track view
- Earth rotates with you (fixed ground reference)
- Shows subsatellite point traces
- Available in 2D and 3D
- Space-fixed reference frame
- Earth rotates beneath the camera
- Shows true orbital path in space
- Only available in 3D mode (tab disabled in 2D)
- Automatically switches to ECEF when entering 2D mode
ECEF or ECI). The badge updates as you flip the toggle — it always reflects the frame the rendered geometry is currently expressed in. Hover the badge for the full frame name; click Learn more to open the reference frame catalog.
Map Style Toggle (Map / Satellite)
Default: Map
Map Style:
- Light theme: Mapbox light-v11
- Dark theme: Mapbox dark-v11
- Clean vector style for clear visualization
- Photographic satellite imagery
- Mapbox satellite-v9
- Real-world terrain appearance
Home Button (Reset View)
Resets camera to default view. Effect:- Resets zoom to show full world extent
- Centers map on 0°, 0° (Atlantic Ocean)
- Resets any rotation/tilt (in 3D)
Charts Button
Opens/closes the charts side panel. Click to toggle the sliding panel from the right edge.Map Visualization
Satellite Icons
Each spacecraft is displayed with:
Label Styling:
- Semi-transparent background box
- Theme-aware colors (adapts to light/dark mode)
- Always visible (no depth occlusion)
Orbital Paths (Ground Tracks)
Past Track (Trail):- Dashed line style
- Semi-transparent (70% opacity)
- Shows 1 hour of past positions
- Same color as spacecraft
- Solid line style
- Full opacity
- Shows 1 day of predicted positions
- Same color as spacecraft
Map Interaction
Lighting Effects
The map displays realistic sun lighting with a day/night terminator that shows illuminated vs shadowed regions and moves with simulation time.Timeline Controls
Floating toolbar at bottom center of the map:
Reset to Start
Jumps to the beginning of the data timeline.Reverse Button
Plays animation backwards.Play/Pause Button /
Toggles forward playback.Real-Time Sync Button
Syncs simulation to current real-world time.
Effect:
- Jumps simulation to current system time
- Continues advancing with real clock
- Disables timeline slider (can’t scrub in real-time mode)
Timeline Slider
Drag to scrub through the timeline. The slider moves in 0.1% increments across the full data range.The timeline slider is disabled when in real-time mode.
Speed Selector
Click to open speed selection popover.Time Display
Shows the current simulation time inMon DD HH:MM:SS UTC format (e.g., “Nov 12 14:32:15 UTC”). Hover to see the full ISO date.
Charts Side Panel
Access the charts panel by clicking the Charts button in the topbar. The panel opens on the right side of the screen.Latitude / Longitude Chart
Shows ground track pattern with longitude wrapping (±180°), color-coded by spacecraft.
Latitude vs Time Chart
Shows latitude variation over time, revealing orbital inclination patterns.
Longitude vs Time Chart
Shows longitude drift over time, revealing orbital period. Handles 360° wrapping discontinuities.
Chart Interactions
- Hover: Shows tooltip with exact values
- Empty State: “No data available” message with icon
- Loading: Skeleton placeholders while loading
Data & Time Range
Default Data Range
Data Sampling
Data Caching
- 5-minute cache per spacecraft/time-range
- Automatic deduplication of requests
When the orbit is stale or unusable
The map draws each spacecraft from a fresh orbit. A spacecraft’s orbit age is measured from its latest state vector — the position and velocity at an epoch you provide through orbit determination, an OPM import, or manual entry. As that age grows it crosses two levels in turn — the degraded level, then the stale level — and the map reacts differently at each. The track normally draws the moment you open the page; on a stale orbit it waits for you to choose to proceed. What you see depends on the selected spacecraft’s orbit age:
Both
N values are whole days — the spacecraft’s actual orbit age and your configured stale level. The stale and degraded levels are workspace-wide values set once in Settings → Orbits → Orbit age (stale level default 14 days); the same values govern the Keplerian-elements plot and AOI overflight, changed in one place rather than per surface. See Orbit age for the workspace-wide policy and the block message.
Every spacecraft affected at either level is also named in the unified orbit-data-age footer at the bottom of the page — tagged Degraded at the degraded level, or Blocked once past the stale level — so you can see which spacecraft are affected at a glance.