How to track Starlink satellites
Starlink is the largest satellite constellation ever flown. Here is how to see the whole fleet, or a single newly launched train, in your browser.
SpaceX's Starlink constellation numbers in the thousands and keeps growing, mostly in low Earth orbit around 550 km. Tracking it means filtering the catalog to that constellation and propagating every member at once.
See the whole constellation
Open the Vantafort platform and filter the catalog to the Starlink constellation. Because positions are computed on the GPU, the entire fleet renders together rather than one satellite at a time, so you can see the shells and orbital planes the constellation is arranged into.
Spotting a fresh launch train
Right after a launch, a new batch has not yet spread to its slots, so the satellites trail one another in a tight train along the same orbit. That is the line of lights people photograph crossing the night sky. In the catalog they appear as consecutively named objects following the same ground track.
Individual satellites
Each carries a name like STARLINK-30000 and its own NORAD ID. Select one to follow it the same way you would track the ISS.
For the general method behind any constellation, see how to track satellites.
Frequently asked questions
- How many Starlink satellites are there?
- Several thousand and growing, the largest satellite constellation ever deployed, mostly in low Earth orbit around 550 km.
- How do I track Starlink satellites?
- Filter the catalog to the Starlink constellation and the whole group renders at once. Individual objects carry names like STARLINK-30000.
- Why do Starlink satellites appear in a line?
- A freshly launched batch has not spread out yet, so the satellites trail each other in a 'train' along the same orbit before drifting to their assigned slots.