Predicting the ISS From a TLE: A Worked Example
Two lines of 1960s punch-card text are enough to predict where the ISS will be tonight. Here is the maths, the arithmetic, and why it expires.
May 28, 2026
20 min read
Posts tagged "iss"
6 posts on issinfo.net tagged with iss.
Starlink: How the Megaconstellation Rewrote Low Earth Orbit
Starlink is SpaceX's 10,000-plus-satellite broadband network in low Earth orbit. How it works, why it exists, and what it means for the night sky.
May 25, 2026
21 min read
Meet the Astrobees: NASA's Free-Flying Robot Bees on the Space Station
Bumble, Honey and Queen are NASA's three free-flying robot cubes that hover, perch and inspect inside the International Space Station, with Star Wars roots and a Moon-bound future.
May 20, 2026
18 min read
Tracking the ISS: Why Its Orbit, Altitude and Speed Constantly Change
The International Space Station's altitude, speed and ground track all change in real time. The physics behind those wiggling lines on a live tracker.
July 18, 2025
16 min read
Orbiting Awkwardly: Diplomacy on the Space Station
Diplomacy on the International Space Station, from the Nauka misfire and the Soyuz MS-22 leak to Russia's 2028 commitment, the Wolf Amendment and the SpaceX deorbit vehicle.
July 6, 2025
18 min read
Five Things You Didn't Know About the International Space Station
Five surprising facts about the ISS in 2026: continuous human presence has cleared 25 years, the station now recycles 98 percent of its water, and SpaceX is building its retirement vehicle.
June 27, 2025
13 min read