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URL API: every query parameter

Applies to Orbit Visualizer v1.1 · Updated

The Orbit Visualizer reads query parameters from its URL, so any orbit can be opened with a link: a full scenario (s), a catalog preset (catalog), a pasted TLE (tle1/tle2), or classical elements (a, e, i, …) — with an optional propagator override (prop).

Parameters go on the wrapper page URL — https://www.exoatlas.com/orbit-visualizer/?…. The app (which runs in a same-origin iframe) reads its own query string first and falls back to the wrapper page's, so links against the wrapper work as-is.

Precedence

The app applies exactly one input branch per load, checked in this order — a URL that mixes branches gets only the highest-priority one:

  1. s — full scenario permalink (v2). Overrides everything else.
  2. catalog — catalog preset by slug.
  3. tle1 + tle2 (or the single tle) — one TLE object.
  4. a + e + i — one classical-elements object (all three must be present and numeric).

If none of these match, the URL is ignored and the app opens normally. name, epoch, and prop are modifiers for branches 3–4.

Parameter reference

ParamTypeExampleNotes
s string, 2.<base64url> s=2.eyJ2IjoyLCJvYmpz… Scenario permalink v2: a base64url-encoded scenario carrying all objects (TLE or elements, each with its propagator, color, and any maneuver nodes) plus ground sites. Generated by the app's Copy Link button; takes precedence over every other parameter. The decoder accepts the payload with or without the 2. version prefix (generated links always include it).
catalog slug catalog=iss Loads a featured-catalog entry: single satellites (e.g. iss, hst, landsat-9, goes-east, gps-iii, tdrs, starlink) or whole groups (gps-operational, starlink-sample, iridium-next). Single slugs are matched before group slugs. Catalog objects always load with SGP4. Unknown slugs show “Catalog preset '…' not found.” Group loads are capped at 12 objects on the free plan (200 with Pro).
tle1, tle2 strings (URL-encoded TLE lines) tle1=1%2025544U%20…&tle2=2%2025544%20… The two lines of a TLE; both are required for this branch. Percent-encode the spaces — column positions must survive the round trip. Default propagator: SGP4. This is the form the TLE Parser's Visualize in 3D button generates.
tle string (both lines, newline-separated) tle=1%2025544U%20…%0A2%2025544%20… Single-parameter alternative to tle1/tle2: both lines in one value with an encoded newline (%0A) between them. Used only when tle1/tle2 are absent.
name string name=ISS%20(ZARYA) Display name for the object created by the TLE or elements branch.
a number, km a=6778 Semi-major axis. Together with e and i, triggers the classical-elements branch.
e number (dimensionless) e=0.0003 Eccentricity. Required for the elements branch.
i number, degrees i=51.6 Inclination. Required for the elements branch.
raan number, degrees raan=115.36 Right ascension of the ascending node (Ω). Optional; defaults to 0.
argp number, degrees argp=265.61 Argument of periapsis (ω). Optional; defaults to 0.
nu number, degrees nu=94.5 True anomaly (ν). Optional; defaults to 0 when neither ta nor M is given.
ta number, degrees ta=94.5 Alias for nu; used only when nu is absent.
M number, degrees M=94.45 Mean anomaly. Used only when both nu and ta are absent; the app converts it to true anomaly using e.
epoch UTC timestamp epoch=2026-07-05T12:00:00.000Z Epoch for the elements branch. Share links generated by the app use ISO 8601; the input field also accepts YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS. Optional — omitted, the epoch field keeps its current value.
prop sgp4 | j2 | twobody prop=j2 Propagator override for the TLE and elements branches (case-insensitive). Without it, TLE links default to SGP4 and element links default to two-body. Invalid values fall back to that default. Note sgp4 is only valid for TLE input — SGP4 requires TLE mean elements, so element objects are coerced to a valid choice.

Link length limit

When generating a scenario link, the app's Copy Link button refuses URLs longer than 1900 characters and shows “Scenario too large for a link — use Save instead.” (large multi-object scenarios with maneuvers can exceed it — use Save / Load for those). The limit applies to link generation only; the reader imposes no explicit cap of its own.

Copyable examples

1. Catalog preset

Loads the current ISS TLE from the featured catalog (SGP4):

https://www.exoatlas.com/orbit-visualizer/?catalog=iss

▶ Try it

2. Pasted TLE (SGP4 by default)

One TLE object named “ISS (ZARYA)” — note every space in the TLE lines is percent-encoded:

https://www.exoatlas.com/orbit-visualizer/?tle1=1%2025544U%2098067A%20%20%2025352.21621920%20%20.00008098%20%2000000-0%20%2015154-3%200%20%209994&tle2=2%2025544%20%2051.6313%20115.3593%200003170%20265.6107%20%2094.4519%2015.49648163543704&name=ISS%20(ZARYA)

▶ Try it

3. Classical elements with a propagator override

An ISS-class orbit from elements, positioned by mean anomaly (M, converted to true anomaly internally), with the J2 secular propagator:

https://www.exoatlas.com/orbit-visualizer/?a=6778&e=0.0003&i=51.6&raan=115.36&argp=265.61&M=94.45&epoch=2026-07-05T12:00:00Z&name=Elements%20demo&prop=j2

▶ Try it

Generating links from the app

You rarely need to build these by hand: Copy Link in the app sidebar serializes the whole scenario to an s permalink (objects, propagators, colors, maneuvers, ground sites; numbers rounded to 6 significant figures). For a single object, the TLE branch is also what the TLE Parser's Visualize in 3D button emits.

Mini-FAQ

Can I deep-link a ground site or the Analysis panel?

Sites travel inside s scenario permalinks (the app's Copy Link includes them); there is no standalone v1 parameter for sites, and the active-tab hint stored in the payload is not currently applied on load — open the Analysis panel with A after the scenario loads.

Why did my TLE link produce an error?

Almost always encoding: every space must be %20 (or +) so the TLE's fixed column positions survive, and both tle1 and tle2 must be present. Validate the TLE first in the TLE Parser, then use its Visualize in 3D button to generate the link.