Standard mathematical propagation models used with orbital element sets.
Orbital Twin
Orbital Twin propagates current modeled positions from public orbital elements using SGP4/SDP4. State time and element epoch remain separate so a freshly calculated position cannot hide old source elements.
OSOIX takes published orbital elements and calculates where an object should be now. The calculation can be current even when the source element is older, so both times are shown.
The twin is a moving mathematical model of satellites around Earth. It predicts where a satellite should be from public orbit information. It is not a camera looking at the satellite.
PUBLIC ORBITAL ELEMENTS
ELEMENT QUALITY
SGP4 / SDP4
CURRENT MODEL STATE
3D EARTH
Operator & learner steps
- Choose a satellite or leave the globe in whole-catalog view.
- Inspect element epoch and element age.
- Use filters to separate spacecraft, debris and other classes.
- Use Realtime Kinematics for a selected object.
- Open Public Observations when you want independent ground-observation records.
What the terms mean
The reference time attached to the orbital element set.
The time for which OSOIX calculated the displayed model position.
What this surface does not mean
- Calculated position is not direct spacecraft telemetry.
- Expired elements are excluded from the current-state layer.
- The twin does not issue spacecraft commands.