ISS Tracker API — Documentation

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Base URL:   |  All timestamps in UTC  |  Content-Type: application/json
LIVEGET/api/telemetry/stream
Server-Sent Events stream of the live station. The first 'telemetry' event carries the full state, including crew and docked vehicles; after that 'telemetry' arrives every second without them, and 'solar', 'crew' and 'docking' arrive on their own when they change.
RESPONSE
event: telemetry — { orbital: OrbitalState, telemetry: ISSTelemetry | null, activeEvent: ISSEvent | null,
                    evaBatteryWindow: boolean, visitorCount: number,
                    feed: { state: "waiting" | "live" | "silent", silentForMs: number | null } }
event: solar     — SolarActivity
event: crew      — CrewMember[]
event: docking   — DockedSpacecraft[]
event: visitors  — number
GET/api/orbit
Where the station is now, propagated with SGP4 from the current TLE. 503 until a TLE has been fetched.
RESPONSE
{
  "timestamp": number, "lat": number, "lon": number, "altitude": number,      // km
  "velocity": number, "speedKmH": number, "period": number,                  // km/s, km/h, minutes
  "inclination": number, "eccentricity": number, "apoapsis": number, "periapsis": number,
  "revolutionNumber": number, "isInSunlight": boolean,
  "sunriseIn": number | null, "sunsetIn": number | null, "betaAngle": number, "heading": number,
  "sunDirection": [x, y, z] | null, "moonDirection": [x, y, z] | null, ...
}
GET/api/systems
The station's systems as NASA's ISSLIVE feed last reported them. 503 when nothing has arrived yet or the latest reading is over 30 s old; the age is in the X-Telemetry-Age-Ms header.
RESPONSE
ISSTelemetry — {
  "timestamp": number, "powerKw": number | null, "solarArrays": {...}, "temperatureC": ...,
  "moduleTemps": {...}, "externalThermal": {...}, "pressurePsi": ..., "oxygenPercent": ...,
  "eclss": {...}, "attitudeMode": ..., "attitude": {...}, "cmgs": {...}, "airlock": {...},
  "comms": {...}, "lab": {...}, "systems": {...}, "emuBatteries": {...},
  "robotics": { "ssrms": {...}, "spdm": {...}, "mtPosition": ..., ... },
  "channels": { [channelId]: { "value": string, "status": string, "timestamp": number } }
}
GET/api/passes
Visible passes over a location in the next 48 hours.
PARAMETERS
NAMETYPEREQUIREDDESCRIPTION
latnumberyesObserver latitude, -90 to 90
lonnumberyesObserver longitude, -180 to 180
minElevnumbernoLowest peak elevation to include, degrees (default 10, 0–45)
RESPONSE
[
  { "riseTime": number, "riseAzimuth": number, "maxTime": number, "maxElevation": number,
    "setTime": number, "setAzimuth": number, "magnitude": number,
    "quality": "bright" | "good" | "fair" | "poor" }
]
GET/api/weather
Space weather from NOAA SWPC, cached for a minute.
RESPONSE
{
  "timestamp": number, "kpIndex": number, "kpLabel": string,
  "xrayFlux": number, "xrayClass": string,
  "protonFlux1MeV": number, "protonFlux10MeV": number, "protonFlux100MeV": number,
  "radiationRisk": "low" | "moderate" | "high" | "severe"
}
GET/api/events
Events in progress, and the next five scheduled (EVAs, dockings, undockings, berthings, reboosts).
RESPONSE
{ "active": ISSEvent[], "upcoming": ISSEvent[] }

ISSEvent — { "id": string, "type": "eva" | "docking" | "undocking" | "berthing" | "reboost" | "maneuver",
  "title": string, "description": string, "status": "scheduled" | "active" | "completed" | "cancelled",
  "scheduledStart": number, "scheduledEnd": number, "actualStart": number | null, "actualEnd": number | null,
  "metadata": { [key]: string } }   // metadata.actualSource: "LL2" | "telemetry" once a docking's real time is known
GET/api/timeline
Today's crew day (UTC): a representative routine with the day's real events laid over it. A docking or undocking whose actual time is known is placed at that time.
RESPONSE
{
  "dayStart": number,
  "activities": [ { "name": string, "type": string, "startTime": number, "endTime": number, "isEvent": boolean } ]
}
ARCHIVE AND SIMWhat the server has recorded. SIM mode replays from these.
GET/api/snapshot
The station as archived at a moment: position (with the Sun, Moon and sky rebuilt for it), the telemetry recorded then, space weather, the event under way, and the visiting vehicles docked then. 404 before the archive begins.
PARAMETERS
NAMETYPEREQUIREDDESCRIPTION
timestampISO 8601yesThe moment to replay
RESPONSE
{
  "timestamp": number,
  "orbital": OrbitalState,
  "telemetry": ISSTelemetry | null,     // null where nothing was archived
  "solar": SolarActivity | null,
  "activeEvent": ISSEvent | null,
  "docking": DockedSpacecraft[] | null  // null before the docking archive begins
}
GET/api/coverage
What the archive holds across the retention window, as contiguous segments: live telemetry, a feed that sent nothing, time the server was not running, or not yet computed.
RESPONSE
{
  "from": number, "to": number, "bucketMs": number,
  "segments": [ { "from": number, "to": number, "state": "live" | "silent" | "unrecorded" | "pending" } ]
}
GET/api/history
One archived orbital metric over a recent window, downsampled to at most `points` values.
PARAMETERS
NAMETYPEREQUIREDDESCRIPTION
metricstringyesaltitude, velocity, speed_kmh, latitude, longitude, inclination, beta_angle, iss_mass_kg, momentum_percent, gnc_delta_r_km or gnc_delta_v_ms
hoursnumbernoWindow, hours back from now (default 24, max 720)
pointsnumbernoMost values to return (default 200, max 500)
RESPONSE
[ { "timestamp": number, "value": number } ]
GET/api/docking-history
Every visiting-vehicle docking on record, from Launch Library 2, with what the Russian segment's port flags said about it. A flag time is used in place of LL2's when the change was seen live — read within two minutes — and the port-flag changes themselves are listed with the window each was read within.
RESPONSE
{
  "flagExactWithinSeconds": number,
  "dockings": [ {
    "id": number, "vehicle": string, "port": string,
    "ll2":   { "docked": ISO, "departed": ISO | null },
    "flags": { "docked": { "at": ISO, "withinSeconds": number } | null, "departed": ... | null },
    "used":  { "docked": ISO, "departed": ISO | null }
  } ],
  "portFlagChanges": [ {
    "port": string | null, "flag": string, "channel": string, "change": "1→0" | "0→1",
    "between": [ISO, ISO], "withinSeconds": number, "dockingId": number | null
  } ]
}
ROBOTICS CALIBRATIONObservations the station view is calibrated from, recorded as they happen.
GET/api/arm-handovers
Canadarm2 base changes the archive has caught. Only a base handover watched live (readings a minute or less apart either side) is usable for calibration; one seen across a gap is listed but marked unusable.
RESPONSE
{
  "total": number, "usable": number, "status": string,
  "handovers": [ { "id": number, "at": ISO, "kind": "base" | "operating_base",
    "from": string, "to": string, "gapSeconds": number | null,
    "observed": boolean, "usable": boolean, "captured": boolean, "sampleCount": number, "note": string } ]
}
GET/api/arm-handovers/poses
The arm's joint readings in the instant before each base handover.
RESPONSE
[ { "handover_id": number, "from_base": string, "to_base": string, "at": string,
    "channel_id": string, "value": string } ]
GET/api/mt-calibration
Mobile Transporter rail calibration: the position reading at each worksite the MT has been seen parked at, and the mapping to the truss once they determine it.
RESPONSE
{
  "railSpanM": number, "worksiteCount": number,
  "observations": [ { "worksite": string, "positionCm": number, "minCm": number, "maxCm": number,
    "samples": number, "firstSeen": ISO, "lastSeen": ISO } ],
  "worksitesSeen": number, "observedSpanM": number, "fitsRail": boolean,
  "calibration": { "metresPerCm": number, "originM": number } | null,
  "blockedBy": string | null
}
MEDIAGET/api/earth-texture
A 4096×2048 equirectangular true-colour Earth, stitched from NASA GIBS imagery (MODIS Terra and Aqua, VIIRS). Rebuilt every six hours; the day used is in X-Imagery-Date.
PARAMETERS
NAMETYPEREQUIREDDESCRIPTION
dateYYYY-MM-DDnoImagery date (default two days ago)
RESPONSE
image/jpeg
GET/api/earth-tile/{day|night}/{row}/{col}
One 512 px tile of the sharper ground drawn under the station, from NASA GIBS at level 6 of its geographic grid (4.5° tiles, about 1 km per pixel; row 0–39 from the north pole, col 0–79 from the antimeridian). Day tiles combine MODIS Terra and Aqua and VIIRS from two days ago; night tiles are VIIRS Black Marble.
RESPONSE
image/jpeg
GET/api/earth-night
A 2048×1024 equirectangular Earth at night — VIIRS Black Marble city lights — the night side of /api/earth-texture.
RESPONSE
image/jpeg
GET/api/live-streams
The YouTube video currently live on each ISS stream the site embeds, checked every ten minutes.
RESPONSE
{ "streams": [ { "id": "nasa" | "sen", "label": string, "videoId": string } ] }
GET/api/news
Posts from NASA's Space Station blog, a page at a time.
PARAMETERS
NAMETYPEREQUIREDDESCRIPTION
pagenumbernoPage number (default 1)
RESPONSE
{
  "page": number, "hasMore": boolean, "cached": boolean, "stale"?: true,
  "posts": [ { "id": string, "title": string, "link": string, "publishedAt": number,
    "author": string | null, "categories": string[], "excerpt": string } ]
}
GET/api/build
The running build's id — how an open page learns a new version has been deployed.
RESPONSE
{ "buildId": string }
ADMINEvery admin route needs an Authorization: Bearer <ADMIN_TOKEN> header, and refuses all requests when ADMIN_TOKEN is unset.
GET/api/admin/events
Every event, most recent first (up to 200).
RESPONSE
ISSEvent[]
POST/api/admin/events
Create or replace an event (PUT does the same). The body is an ISSEvent.
PARAMETERS
NAMETYPEREQUIREDDESCRIPTION
idstringyesEvent id; an existing id is replaced
typestringyeseva, docking, undocking, berthing, reboost or maneuver
titlestringyesTitle
descriptionstringyesDescription
statusstringyesscheduled, active, completed or cancelled
scheduledStartnumberyesPlanned start, Unix ms
scheduledEndnumberyesPlanned end, Unix ms
actualStartnumbernoActual start, Unix ms
actualEndnumbernoActual end, Unix ms
metadataobjectnoString key/value pairs
RESPONSE
{ "ok": true, "id": string }
PUT/api/admin/events/:id
Set an event's status. Activating stamps its actual start (keeping one already set); completing stamps its actual end.
PARAMETERS
NAMETYPEREQUIREDDESCRIPTION
statusstringnoscheduled, active, completed or cancelled
isActivebooleannoShorthand: true for active, false for completed
RESPONSE
{ "ok": true, "id": string, "status": string }
GET/api/admin/stats
Total page views.
RESPONSE
{ "pageViews": number }
POST/api/admin/test-reboost
Insert a completed test reboost ending five minutes ago, to check the reboost display.
RESPONSE
{ "ok": true, "eventId": string }
NAME	TYPE	REQUIRED	DESCRIPTION
lat	number	yes	Observer latitude, -90 to 90
lon	number	yes	Observer longitude, -180 to 180
minElev	number	no	Lowest peak elevation to include, degrees (default 10, 0–45)
NAME	TYPE	REQUIRED	DESCRIPTION
metric	string	yes	altitude, velocity, speed_kmh, latitude, longitude, inclination, beta_angle, iss_mass_kg, momentum_percent, gnc_delta_r_km or gnc_delta_v_ms
hours	number	no	Window, hours back from now (default 24, max 720)
points	number	no	Most values to return (default 200, max 500)
NAME	TYPE	REQUIRED	DESCRIPTION
id	string	yes	Event id; an existing id is replaced
type	string	yes	eva, docking, undocking, berthing, reboost or maneuver
title	string	yes	Title
description	string	yes	Description
status	string	yes	scheduled, active, completed or cancelled
scheduledStart	number	yes	Planned start, Unix ms
scheduledEnd	number	yes	Planned end, Unix ms
actualStart	number	no	Actual start, Unix ms
actualEnd	number	no	Actual end, Unix ms
metadata	object	no	String key/value pairs