By 
June 5th, 2018
Credit: Esri
Esri, a leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, has created Satellite Map – an application that maps the current location of about 14,000 human made objects orbiting the Earth.
The application is driven by data sourced from Space-Track.org, which is maintained by the Joint Functional Component Command for Space, and allows you to intersect with over 16,500 space objects.
A Preset dropdown menu allows you to select a subset of satellites, for example, Russian or low earth orbit satellites.
The buttons and sliders below the Preset dropdown can be used to build your own selection or refine a preset selection. It is possible to construct quite complex selections, for example, American satellites in low earth orbit (apogee/perigee <2,000km) that are not junk.
Clicking on an individual satellite in the 3d view will display a panel with detailed information. Links to NASA’s website are provided for additional information. In addition to displaying name and orbital details, the 3d view displays the satellite’s future trajectory with respect to the Earth’s surface. By default the trajectory is for one day but this can be changed to either one hour or one week.
Space junk
Perhaps the most surprising fact for users of this application is the large proportion of orbital objects classified as junk. Approximately 3/4 of human made objects are spent rocket boosters or debris from satellite collisions.
It is important to note that satellite positions are derived from an ephemeris database downloaded in May, 2015. As such this app will not display satellites launched since then or reflect intentionally or unintentionally orbital adjustments. Similarly atmospheric friction and gravitational forces are likely to influence orbital position. However the different between projected and actual position is unlikely to be perceptible at the scale used.
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Posted in Space News
