canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/orbitalwiki.com/orbitalwiki # OrbitalWiki API The OrbitalWiki API serves a read-only catalogue of satellites and other orbital objects, with every record credited to its source: CelesTrak OMM and SATCAT, GCAT by Jonathan McDowell, Wikidata, and SatNOGS DB. It looks up an object by NORAD catalog ID and returns its current TLE or CCSDS OMM mean elements, filters the catalogue by orbit_class, status, object_class, and country, and lists operators with their satellites. Re-entries, recent catalogue change events, launches, and bulk dataset slices such as active-payloads or starlink in CSV or JSON round out the surface. Orbital data is approximate and not for operational use. ## For AI agents Look up satellites by NORAD catalog ID, fetch their current TLE or OMM elements, search and filter the orbital catalogue, and list operators, launches, and re-entries. ## Scope Does not predict passes over a location, provide conjunction warnings, or support operational flight dynamics. Use for reading satellite catalogue records, TLE and OMM elements, and orbital datasets only. ## Capabilities - Fetch a satellite's record, current TLE, or CCSDS OMM mean elements by NORAD catalog ID - Filter the catalogue by orbit_class such as LEO, GEO, or SSO, by status, object_class, country, or active flag - Search satellites by name, alias, NORAD ID, COSPAR ID, operator, or country - List satellite operators and open one operator's satellite list by slug - Track decayed objects and recent catalogue change events since a given time - Download dataset slices such as all, active-payloads, or starlink in CSV or JSON ## Use cases ### Satellite questions answered by an AI agent through Jentic An AI agent asked about a satellite can answer from catalogue data instead of memory. Through Jentic it searches for 'get the current TLE for a satellite', loads the OrbitalWiki operation with its input schema, and calls it with the NORAD catalog ID. Catalogue reads work without a key at a small daily allowance, and a free key stored once raises it, with the key injected at call time. Example prompt: Call GET `/satellites/25544` for the record and GET `/satellites/25544/tle` for the current TLE, then summarise the satellite's operator and orbit class ### Orbit-class and status filtering for research Researchers counting active payloads in a regime need structured filters, not scraping. GET /satellites accepts orbit_class values including LEO, MEO, GEO, HEO, SSO, and VLEO, status values such as OPERATIONAL or DECAYED, object_class values such as PAYLOAD, ROCKET_BODY, or DEBRIS, plus country, with limit up to 100 per page. Example prompt: Page GET /satellites with orbit_class 'GEO', status 'OPERATIONAL', and object_class 'PAYLOAD' at limit 100 and count the results by country ### Re-entry and catalogue change monitoring A space-news bot watches for objects coming down and catalogue updates. GET /reentries lists DECAYED objects by catalogue update time, and GET /events returns recent catalogue change events filtered by a since timestamp, so the bot can post new re-entries without diffing full datasets. Example prompt: Call GET /events with since set to 24 hours ago and GET /reentries with limit 20, then report any objects that decayed in that window ### Bulk orbital datasets for visualisation Orbit visualisers need every object's elements at once. GET /elements returns mean elements for every active object as parallel arrays, and GET `/dataset/{slice}` downloads the all, active-payloads, or starlink slice in CSV or JSON using Union of Concerned Scientists column names. Example prompt: Download GET `/dataset/starlink` with format 'json' and count the objects in the slice ## Key endpoints | Method | Path | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | GET | `/satellites` | List and filter satellites | | GET | `/satellites/{norad_cat_id}` | Get a satellite by NORAD catalog ID | | GET | `/satellites/{norad_cat_id}/tle` | Get the current TLE | | GET | `/satellites/{norad_cat_id}/omm` | Get the current OMM | | GET | `/search` | Search satellites | | GET | `/reentries` | List decayed objects | | GET | `/dataset/{slice}` | Download a dataset slice | ## Key resources - **Satellites** — List, filter, and fetch satellites by NORAD catalog ID, with current TLE and OMM - **Search** — Search by name, alias, NORAD ID, COSPAR ID, operator, or country - **Operators** — List operators and fetch one with its satellite list - **Catalogue feeds** — Re-entries, change events, launches, mean elements, and statistics - **Datasets and sources** — Bulk dataset slices in CSV or JSON and data-source licence credits - **Keys** — Create an API key for a signed-in, email-confirmed account ## AI readiness This API is usable in Jentic One now. Its AI-readiness score against Jentic's framework shows where it stands today and where improvements would make it even easier for agents to use. - **Score:** 68 / 100 - **Maturity:** AI-Aware - **Dimensions:** - Foundational Compliance: 99 / 100 - Developer Experience & Jentic Compatibility: 66 / 100 - AI-Readiness & Agent Experience: 50 / 100 - Agent Usability: 94 / 100 - Security: 55 / 100 - AI Discoverability: 74 / 100 - **View full report:** https://jentic.com/apis/orbitalwiki.com/orbitalwiki/scorecard - **How the score is calculated:** https://docs.jentic.com/reference/api-readiness-framework/overview/ - **More about the dimensions:** https://docs.jentic.com/reference/api-readiness-framework/specification/#dimensional-model-overview ### Score it yourself Every API in the directory is allowlisted, so you can re-score it with no key required. - **Score your own API:** https://jentic.com/scorecard.md - **Scoring CLI agent skill:** https://github.com/jentic/jentic-api-scorecard/blob/main/skills/jentic-api-scorecard/SKILL.md ```sh npx @jentic/api-scorecard-cli score ``` ## Why Jentic - **Setup:** Wiring OrbitalWiki by hand means choosing between a bearer ow_ key and the X-API-Key header, tracking which routes are public, and paging limit and offset across satellite and operator lists. Through Jentic you install once, import OrbitalWiki from the API Directory, store the key once, and your agent calls it. - **Permission scoping:** OrbitalWiki puts the NORAD ID in the URL path (`/satellites/{norad_cat_id}/tle`), so a rule can pin your agent to one NORAD object and the read operations you pick. You choose the operations it may call, so key creation through POST /keys is not included unless you add it. - **Credential handling:** Your OrbitalWiki API key is stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. It never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context. - **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'get the current TLE for a satellite' or 'list recent re-entries', and Jentic returns the matching OrbitalWiki operation with its input schema, including the orbit_class and status enums. ## Related APIs - **Space-Track** — US Space Force catalogue of orbital objects and element sets - **The Space Devs** — Launch Library data on upcoming and past launches - **RocketLaunch.Live** — Upcoming rocket launch schedule ## FAQ ### What authentication does the OrbitalWiki API use? Per its OpenAPI spec, OrbitalWiki accepts an ow_ API key either as a bearer token in the Authorization header or in the X-API-Key header. The spec also declares several public routes with no security, including GET /elements, GET /events, GET /launches, and GET `/dataset/{slice}`, and states that catalogue reads work without a key at a lower daily allowance. Through Jentic the key is held by your own instance and attached at call time. ### Can I get a satellite's current TLE from OrbitalWiki? Yes. GET `/satellites/{norad_cat_id}/tle` returns the current TLE for a satellite, and GET `/satellites/{norad_cat_id}/omm` returns the CCSDS Orbit Mean-Elements Message. The spec notes orbital data is approximate and not for operational use. ### What are the rate limits for the OrbitalWiki API? Per the OpenAPI spec, reads without a key are limited to 50 requests per UTC day per network, shared with everyone on that network, and a free key raises that to 1,000 per day. ### Is there an OrbitalWiki MCP server? You don't need an MCP server to give your agent OrbitalWiki. Jentic connects it directly from the API Directory: import it, store your key once, and your agent calls the satellite, search, and dataset operations on demand without loading another server's tool definitions into its context. ### How do I search for satellites through Jentic? Search Jentic for 'search satellites by name', load the GET /search operation, and execute it with q plus optional orbit_class, status, or country filters. Results page with limit and offset. To run it on your own infrastructure, install Jentic One from its GitHub repo. ### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with OrbitalWiki? Yes. For example, a rule that allows GET `/satellites/{norad_cat_id}` and its /tle path for NORAD ID 25544 keeps the agent on that one object, and leaving POST /keys out means it cannot create keys. Every call it makes is logged. ### Where does OrbitalWiki's data come from? The spec credits CelesTrak OMM and SATCAT, GCAT by Jonathan McDowell under CC-BY 4.0, Wikidata under CC0, and SatNOGS DB under CC BY-SA 4.0. GET /sources lists each data source with its licence status and provenance credits.