Your first orbit

Applies to Orbit Visualizer v1.1 · Updated July 5, 2026

To visualize a satellite orbit, open the free ExoAtlas Orbit Visualizer, click Load from Catalog, and add the ISS. It appears on a 3D Earth immediately; press play to watch it move, and press A for its live ground track. No account or install required.

Your first orbit in 60 seconds

1. Open the Orbit Visualizer. Everything runs client-side in your browser.
2. In the sidebar's Scenario Objects section, click Load from Catalog.
3. In the modal, find ISS (ZARYA) under Satellites (type ISS in the Search box to filter) and click the ＋ button next to it. The ISS loads with the operational SGP4 propagator and starts orbiting a to-scale Earth.
4. In Time Controls, press the play button (▶). Raise Time Step — for example to 1 min/s — to sweep through a full orbit in about a minute and a half.
5. Press A (or click the ▲ toggle at the bottom of the 3D view) to open the Analysis panel. The Ground Track tab draws the live sub-satellite track on a world map.

▶ Open this example in the Orbit Visualizer

That link uses the app's URL API (?catalog=iss) to do steps 2–3 for you.

Try it with your own TLE

Have a two-line element set for a satellite you care about? Two ways to load it:

• In the app: in Scenario Objects, click Add Object. In the modal, set Data Format to Two Line Element Set (TLE), paste both lines into the Two Line Element Set box, and click Add Object. The Propagator selector defaults to SGP4 for TLEs.
• From the TLE Parser: paste a TLE into the ExoAtlas TLE Parser and click its Visualize in 3D button — it hands the TLE straight to the Orbit Visualizer.

New to the format? Read How to read a TLE.

What you're seeing

Catalog objects are propagated with SGP4/SDP4, the model TLEs are fitted for — in the app's own words: “SGP4/SDP4 (Vallado reference algorithm). Operational TLE propagation; accuracy degrades with TLE age (≈1–3 km at epoch, growing per day).” The 3D scene and the ground track both use each object's selected propagator; you can compare models on the propagation models page, and the accuracy claims are verified on the validation page.

Next steps

• Ground sites & access — predict when a satellite rises above your horizon.
• URL API — deep-link any orbit or scenario with query parameters.
• How to read a TLE — decode the two lines you just pasted.

Mini-FAQ