ISSTracker for Web

App summary

ISSTracker is a single-page Maps & GPS web application from Myflipside Media that displays the International Space Station’s location in real time. It shows the station’s plotted ground tracks for past, current, and future orbits on one page, letting you see roughly what astronauts observe when looking down at Earth.

How the interface works

The site is designed to be straightforward, but some terminology assumes familiarity with orbital tracking. If you have experience or basic knowledge about orbital mechanics and time standards, you’ll find the controls intuitive.

To view a specific pass, enter the launch or observation date and time. Accepted formats include:

1. US-style: MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS (note: you must convert this entry to GMT)
2. International/ISO: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS+0000

Primary capabilities

ISSTracker offers several useful display and measurement options:

• Visibility ring to estimate where the ISS can be seen
• Support for both Metric and Imperial (English) units
• Adjustable flight-path duration to extend or shorten plotted orbits
• Enlarged, higher-resolution map for a clearer view

You can also toggle components such as the orbital path and the horizon, and choose to center the map on the ISS.

Map presentation options

You may select which Google Maps base layer to use for the map:

• Hybrid
• Satellite
• Terrain

Note: The app’s enhanced map set does not include a Daylight map layer because that option is not supported by Google Maps in this version.

Advanced features on a separate page

ISSTracker provides an extra page for experimental or advanced settings that don’t appear on the main screen. Highlights include:

• Historical sighting logs so you can check when the ISS was visible from specific locations
• Fine-grained orbital range control, from roughly one-third of an orbit up to six orbits in the past or future

Performance and accuracy

The application loads quickly and is intended as a go-to online tool for finding the ISS’s exact position. Results are presented with reliable unit options (Metric and Imperial) to help you measure distances and timings precisely.