ISS (ZARYA)
Country: Russia, United States · Also known as: ZARYA, RS0ISS, NA1SS
Live Position
Ground Track · Last 90 Minutes
Upcoming Passes · Over Your Location
About This Satellite
The International Space Station is a crewed laboratory assembled in Earth orbit. Its first element, Zarya, launched in 1998; continuous occupation began in November 2000. Its research environment lets scientists study processes that behave differently in sustained free fall, from fluid motion to the human body.
Mission context
The name ISS (ZARYA) in a tracking catalog does not mean the map shows an isolated module. The catalog identity is associated with the assembled station. A launch-date badge refers to that catalog record, not the date every laboratory or solar array was added.
What to notice in this record
Compare the altitude snapshot with its date rather than treating one height as permanent. Drag and reboosts change the orbit. An overhead pass is a geometric opportunity, not a promise of visibility: the station must be illuminated while the observer has a sufficiently dark, clear sky.
Mission reference: NASA: International Space Station. Editorial review: .
Reading this orbital snapshot
Based on TLE epoch: 2026-09-05. Estimated altitude ranges from 416 km at perigee to 423 km at apogee, a difference of 7 km. The orbital period is about 93.0 minutes. Eccentricity 0.00050 indicates a nearly circular path. In a two-body approximation, perigee speed is 1.00 times apogee speed. These are mean-element estimates, not instantaneous measurements. Distance per orbit uses an ellipse approximation.
Saved build snapshot. If a valid TLE is retrieved, this explanation and the orbit panel update together. Otherwise this dated snapshot is retained.
Ground track is not sensor coverage
An inclination of 51.63 degrees implies approximate geocentric ground-track limits of 51.6 degrees north and south. This is a prograde orbit, moving in the same general direction as Earth rotation. The plotted line marks the point beneath the object. It does not represent camera coverage, radio reception, or a guaranteed visible pass.
Accuracy and missing information
The introductory record describes the build snapshot. The orbital snapshot explanation and orbit panel share any successfully retrieved TLE; check the displayed epoch. Reentered objects retain historical data only. Mission history is not rewritten by TLE updates. TLE/SGP4 positions are predictions and can change after maneuvers or updated observations. The 14-day stale-data cutoff is a display safeguard, not an accuracy guarantee. Local passes are geometric predictions, not a visibility forecast. No verified operator or mission status means unknown, not active. Do not use this catalog for collision avoidance or operational flight decisions.
Catalog sources: CelesTrak SATCAT: NORAD 25544 · GCAT: S25544 (source update 2026 Sep 4 2345:57). Supplementary metadata: SatNOGS DB, retrieved 2026-09-05T12:57:25.375Z. Page assembled 2026-09-15. GCAT phase codes describe trajectory phases, not mission health.
Learn more: TLE data · Perigee and apogee · Ground tracks · JOT (Jewawud Live Orbital Map)