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Use a launch provider’s official schedule to find the next rocket launch, NASA’s Spot the Station app for location-specific International Space Station alerts, and Heavens-Above for pass predictions for other satellites. Check launch times and orbital predictions again shortly before you go outside: launch windows can move, and atmospheric drag causes small errors in projected ISS trajectories.
This guide explains which source to use, how to configure it, how to read altitude and compass data, and what to do when a satellite is not where the chart suggests.
Match the tracker to the job
“Satellite tracking” covers three different tasks. A launch calendar tells you when a rocket is expected to leave Earth. An ISS alert service predicts when the station will be visible from your location. A general satellite tracker calculates where many orbiting objects will appear in your sky. Choosing the source that matches the task avoids confusing a launch schedule with a pass prediction.
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| Task | Best source | What it provides | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Find a NASA mission launch | NASA’s launch-schedule pages | Mission, target date, launch time or window, and launch-site information | Dates and windows are provisional and can change. |
| Find a commercial launch | The launch provider’s official calendar | Provider-specific mission details and schedule filters | The provider determines what fields and filters are shown. |
| Get an ISS flyover alert | NASA Spot the Station | Location-aware alerts, next visible opportunities, duration, maximum height, and appearance and disappearance directions | It is focused on the International Space Station, not a complete satellite catalog. |
| Track other satellites | Heavens-Above | Live sky chart and chronological pass list with altitude, azimuth, duration, and estimated magnitude | Predictions depend on the selected location and the freshness of orbital data. |
For a Starlink or another non-ISS object, start with the general catalog in Heavens-Above and select the specific satellite or group when it is listed. For the station, NASA’s app is the authoritative location-aware option.
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Track an upcoming rocket launch
Start with the primary calendar
Open NASA’s launch schedule for a NASA mission. For a commercial mission, open the launch provider’s own calendar; the official SpaceX launches page is one example of a provider calendar. Secondary countdown pages can be useful for discovery, but the primary calendar is the one to recheck when a date or window matters.
Record the details that determine whether you can watch
- Mission name: write down the exact mission so that a similarly named test or cargo flight does not confuse your planning.
- Target date and launch window: note the time zone shown by the calendar. A date displayed in Coordinated Universal Time can fall on a different local calendar day.
- Launch site: identify the site and its geography. A launch from another coast or country may be outside your viewing range even when the rocket is visible on a webcast.
- Window length: treat a window as a period in which liftoff may occur, not a guarantee that the first listed minute will be used.
- Latest status: check the same calendar again on launch day and shortly before the window begins.
Understand why launch times move
Launch schedules are plans, not fixed appointments. Weather, vehicle inspections, range availability, spacecraft readiness, and countdown holds can move a mission to a later time or date. If you are travelling to a viewing site, do not book around an early date without a contingency plan. If you only need a webcast, use the provider’s current event page rather than an old screenshot or reposted countdown.
Use a launch-day routine
- Open the official calendar and confirm the mission is still targeting the listed date.
- Convert the published time to your local time zone and write both values down.
- Check the launch site’s weather and any public range or safety notices.
- Arrive or set up early enough to account for parking, horizon obstructions, and a possible hold.
- Refresh the calendar during the final hour. A scrub can be announced after spectators are already in position.
Get International Space Station flyover alerts
Install and configure Spot the Station
NASA’s Spot the Station is an official NASA app for tracking and receiving notifications for International Space Station viewings. It is available for iOS and Android. The app calculates opportunities for more than 6,700 locations worldwide using trajectory information from Mission Control at Johnson Space Center.
- Install Spot the Station from your device’s official app store.
- Allow location access when prompted, or choose the observing location manually if you do not want to use device location.
- Allow notifications. Without notification permission, the app can still show schedules, but it cannot deliver push alerts.
- Open the next-sighting list and verify that the selected city or coordinates match the place where you will observe.
- Review each listed opportunity and decide which one fits your weather, darkness, and availability.
NASA’s website and email sighting notifications were discontinued beginning June 12, 2025. For current alerts, use the app rather than relying on an old website subscription or an archived email schedule.
Read the information in an ISS alert
Each visible opportunity can include the date and time, how long the station remains visible, its maximum height above the horizon, and the direction in which it appears and disappears. Use those fields as a short observing plan: face the appearance direction before the start time, then follow the object as it climbs and crosses the listed path.
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- Visibility duration: the approximate interval during which the station should remain above the app’s visibility threshold.
- Maximum height: the highest elevation reached during that pass from your location.
- Appears: the compass direction and part of the sky where you should first look.
- Disappears: the direction where it should leave visibility.
- Visible opportunity: NASA filters for passes that can be seen under suitable lighting geometry instead of notifying you about every orbit.
Why the app does not alert for every orbit
The station completes about 16 orbits each day, but most passes are not useful for a ground observer. You need a dark sky while the station is still illuminated by the Sun. A pass during local daylight, or one in which the station enters Earth’s shadow too early, may not be visible. Spot the Station therefore emphasizes opportunities that meet its visibility criteria rather than sending an alert for every overhead crossing.
The station’s orbital inclination is 51.6 degrees. That inclination and the station’s changing position mean that a pass seen from one city may not be visible from another, even on the same orbit. Location permission or accurately entered coordinates are essential to a useful prediction.
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Set your observing location in Heavens-Above
Heavens-Above is designed for a broad satellite catalog rather than the ISS alone. Set your location before opening a chart or pass list. Use the map or location controls to choose the observing site, and check the displayed coordinates if you are near a city boundary, on a trip, or using a manually entered place.
Use the live sky chart
The live sky chart shows which cataloged objects are currently above your horizon and where they are moving. Select an object to see its plotted track. This view is useful when you are already outside and want to identify a moving point of light, because it relates the satellite’s position to the surrounding compass directions and sky height.
Use the chronological pass list for planning
Open the pass list when you want to plan an observation in advance. Select a satellite to see the predicted start, highest point, and end of the pass, along with maximum altitude, azimuth, duration, and estimated magnitude. For a constellation or group, inspect individual entries rather than assuming every member will follow the same path from your location.
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A satellite entry can be present in the catalog without producing a good naked-eye opportunity. A low pass may stay close to buildings or trees, and a dim object may require optical help. Treat the chart as a geometric prediction, then apply local conditions before deciding whether to go outside.
Read altitude, azimuth, duration, and magnitude
Altitude is the height above your horizon
Altitude, also called elevation, is measured in degrees. The horizon is 0 degrees; directly overhead is 90 degrees. A pass that reaches a higher maximum altitude generally gives you a larger, less obstructed section of sky and a better viewing geometry. A pass that peaks near the horizon can be hidden by buildings, hills, or trees even when the satellite technically rises above 0 degrees.
Azimuth is the compass bearing
Azimuth tells you the direction around the horizon, normally expressed as a compass bearing. It answers “where should I face?” rather than “how high should I look?” Use the appearance azimuth to choose your starting direction, then follow the plotted path as the satellite moves toward its maximum altitude and disappearance azimuth. If your phone’s compass is unreliable, calibrate it before relying on a narrow bearing.
Duration is the time in view
Duration is the predicted interval from the beginning of visibility to the end. Start watching a few minutes early because a low object can emerge from behind an obstruction later than the geometric prediction. Keep watching through the listed end: a satellite may fade when it enters Earth’s shadow rather than physically dropping below the horizon.
Magnitude estimates brightness
Satellite magnitude uses the astronomical scale, in which smaller numerical values indicate brighter objects and larger positive values indicate fainter ones. A strongly negative estimate is bright; a positive estimate is dimmer. The value is an estimate, not a guarantee: reflective surfaces, changing orientation, haze, and light pollution can make the object look different from the prediction. Use magnitude together with maximum altitude and sky darkness.
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Plan the observation once the prediction is chosen
Pick the right time and sky
Choose a pass that occurs in darkness at your location while the satellite can still receive sunlight. This is the geometry that makes many ISS passes easy to see. Clear skies matter more than perfect equipment; clouds can erase a bright pass, while a transparent but light-polluted sky may still reveal the station.
Choose a location with an open horizon
- Face the appearance bearing before the start time.
- Move away from walls, tall trees, and rooflines that block the predicted track.
- Keep the phone’s screen dim or covered between checks so your eyes remain adapted to darkness.
- Use a place where you can safely remain outside for the full duration.
Decide whether you need optics
Bright ISS passes can be observed without optical equipment. You do not need a telescope for the station’s typical visible opportunities. Binoculars are an optional aid for dimmer satellites or for studying a predicted track after you have located the moving object. General-purpose 10×50 astronomy binoculars provide a wider, easier-to-aim field than a high-magnification telescope, but they are not required for a bright pass.
Use the chart while outside
- Arrive several minutes before the listed start.
- Face the appearance azimuth and estimate the listed altitude using the horizon as 0 degrees and overhead as 90 degrees.
- Look for a steady point of light moving smoothly across the predicted track. Aircraft usually show blinking navigation lights and may change direction.
- Sweep along the chart’s path rather than staring at one fixed point.
- Note when the object reaches its highest point and where it fades or disappears.
Refresh predictions before you observe
Do not plan from an old screenshot. NASA says atmospheric drag introduces small errors into projected ISS trajectories and that flight controllers update trajectory data approximately three times per week. Those updates can shift the predicted time, path, or duration enough to matter when you are watching a short pass.
Refresh the Spot the Station app on the day of an observation. For another satellite, reload the Heavens-Above pass list and confirm the selected location. For a launch, revisit the official NASA or provider calendar on launch day and again near the start of the window. The closer the event, the more useful the current prediction becomes.
Choose the right source for your situation
| If you want to… | Use this first | Why | What to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Know whether a NASA rocket is launching this week | NASA launch schedule | It is the primary schedule for NASA missions. | Date, time zone, window, mission, and launch site. |
| Follow a commercial rocket mission | The provider’s official calendar | It carries the provider’s current mission status and filters. | Latest target date and any hold or scrub notice. |
| Receive an ISS notification on your phone | Spot the Station | It uses your location and sends alerts for visible opportunities. | Location permission, notification permission, and app refresh. |
| Identify an unfamiliar moving light | Heavens-Above live sky chart | It compares current positions for many cataloged satellites. | Correct location, current time, and the object’s plotted path. |
| Compare several possible observing times | Heavens-Above pass list | It presents passes chronologically with geometry and brightness estimates. | Maximum altitude, azimuth, duration, magnitude, and daylight. |
Troubleshoot a missed or confusing pass
No ISS notification arrived
Open Spot the Station directly and inspect the next-sighting list. Confirm that notifications are enabled at both the operating-system level and inside the app, and verify the selected location. The app’s alert logic is for visible opportunities, so an orbit that crosses your area in daylight or poor illumination may not generate a notification.
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The satellite is not where the chart says
Check that the phone clock, time zone, and observing coordinates are correct. Reload the pass prediction, then reorient using the appearance azimuth and altitude rather than an earlier compass heading. A building, tree line, or low cloud can hide the first part of a pass.
The pass time changed
Refresh the data instead of trying to correct an old chart by hand. ISS trajectory estimates change as atmospheric-drag effects are incorporated. Launch times can also move because the published window is provisional. Use the newest official schedule or prediction available.
The object appeared and then vanished
A satellite can disappear when it enters Earth’s shadow or when its reflective angle changes. Compare the disappearance time and direction with the chart. If the object blinked, changed direction, or continued after the predicted end, it may have been an aircraft rather than the satellite you selected.
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Start with the object’s predicted magnitude and maximum altitude. Prioritize a higher pass with a brighter estimated magnitude, then narrow the chart to the specific satellite or group you intend to watch. For the ISS, use Spot the Station instead of a general catalog so the alert and visibility filtering are tailored to that station.
A repeatable tracking routine
- Identify the target: choose a rocket launch, the ISS, or another satellite before selecting a tool.
- Open the primary source: use NASA or the launch provider for launches, Spot the Station for the ISS, and Heavens-Above for other satellites.
- Set the place: grant location access or enter accurate coordinates.
- Choose a useful opportunity: favor darkness, clear weather, a high maximum altitude, and a bright estimated magnitude.
- Read the geometry: note the start direction, end direction, altitude, and duration.
- Refresh close to the event: update launch status and orbital predictions on the day, because schedules and trajectories change.
- Observe from an open site: begin early, follow the plotted track, and use binoculars only if the target is too dim for unaided vision.
The practical division is simple: official launch calendars answer when a rocket may leave Earth, NASA’s app answers when the ISS should be visible from your location, and Heavens-Above answers where many other satellites should cross your sky. Keeping those roles separate, and refreshing each prediction near the event, produces the most reliable sightings.
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