Where is the ISS? Track the International Space Station with Our API

Welcome to the WTIA REST API, your go-to resource for pinpointing the International Space Station (ISS) and accessing related space data. If you’ve ever wondered “Where Is The Iss right now?”, our service provides the answers, along with current, past, and future positions. Beyond location tracking, you can also delve into timezone information for specific coordinates and obtain essential TLE (Two-Line Element set) data for the ISS.

Understanding the WTIA REST API for ISS Tracking

This API is designed to be straightforward and accessible, providing a wealth of information about the ISS and related geographical data. Whether you are a developer building a space-themed application, an educator bringing space exploration to the classroom, or simply a curious individual fascinated by the ISS, our API offers valuable tools and data.

Authentication and Rate Limits

Currently, accessing the WTIA REST API requires no authentication. We believe in open access to space data. However, please be aware that rate limits are in place to ensure fair usage for all users. Requests are limited to approximately 1 per second. You can easily monitor your usage through the X-Rate-Limit headers included in each response, allowing you to manage your requests effectively.

Response Formats and Error Handling

Our API is designed to communicate clearly. All responses are provided in JSON format by default, ensuring easy parsing and integration into various applications. To enhance readability when visualizing JSON responses directly in a browser, you can append the parameter indent=4 to your request URL, which will format the JSON output with 4 spaces for indentation.

Successful requests are always indicated by a 2XX HTTP response code. In cases of errors, the API will return an appropriate HTTP error code (anything other than 2XX) along with a JSON object containing error and status properties, providing detailed information about the issue encountered.

For applications requiring suppression of non-2XX response codes, the optional parameter suppress_response_codes=true can be included in your request. This will ensure the API always returns a 200 response, and you can then inspect the response body for an error property to handle potential issues programmatically.

Support and Feedback

Your feedback is crucial to improving our API. We encourage you to use the “feedback” button available on our website to share any questions, concerns, or requests you may have while using the API. Our team is committed to providing prompt and helpful responses to ensure a smooth and valuable experience for all users.

Exploring the Endpoints for ISS Data

The WTIA REST API is organized into logical endpoints, each designed to provide specific types of information. For tracking the ISS and accessing related data, the primary endpoints are within the /satellites and /coordinates categories. Let’s delve into each of these to understand their capabilities.

/satellites Endpoint: Listing Available Satellites

This endpoint serves as an index, providing a list of satellites for which the API holds information. Currently, our focus is on the International Space Station. As we expand our services, we plan to include data for more satellites in the future.

Example Resource URL:

https://api.wheretheiss.at/v1/satellites

Example Response:

[ { "name": "iss", "id": 25544 } ]

Parameters: None

Resource Information:

API Version	1
Response Format	json
Rate Limited?	Yes

This endpoint is straightforward. By accessing the provided URL, you receive a JSON response listing the satellites currently tracked by the API. In the example above, you can see that the ISS is listed with its name “iss” and its NORAD catalog ID, 25544. This ID is crucial for accessing more detailed information about the ISS in other endpoints.

/satellites/[id] Endpoint: Getting Current ISS Position and Details

This is the core endpoint for answering “where is the ISS?”. By using the ISS NORAD ID (25544), you can retrieve real-time data about the ISS’s position, velocity, and other relevant information at a specific point in time.

Example Resource URL:

https://api.wheretheiss.at/v1/satellites/25544

Example Response:

{ "name": "iss", "id": 25544, "latitude": 50.11496269845, "longitude": 118.07900427317, "altitude": 408.05526028199, "velocity": 27635.971970874, "visibility": "daylight", "footprint": 4446.1877699772, "timestamp": 1364069476, "daynum": 2456375.3411574, "solar_lat": 1.3327003598631, "solar_lon": 238.78610691196, "units": "kilometers" }

Parameters:

Name	Description	Required	Default
units	Whether to use miles or kilometers	no	kilometers
timestamp	Optionally specify a timestamp for orbital position	no	current timestamp

Resource Information:

API Version	1
Response Format	json
Rate Limited?	Yes

As shown in the example response, this endpoint provides a wealth of data. You get the ISS’s latitude and longitude, pinpointing its location on Earth. Altitude is provided in kilometers (or miles, depending on the ‘units’ parameter). Velocity indicates the ISS’s speed. ‘Visibility’ tells you whether the ISS is currently in daylight or darkness. ‘Footprint’ represents the area on Earth the ISS is currently above. ‘Timestamp’ is the Unix timestamp for the data, and ‘daynum’ is the Julian day number. ‘solar_lat’ and ‘solar_lon’ provide the sun’s latitude and longitude.

You can customize the units to miles if preferred by adding ?units=miles to the URL. Furthermore, you can retrieve historical ISS positions by adding a specific timestamp using ?timestamp=[unix timestamp]. If no timestamp is provided, the API returns the current, real-time position.

/satellites/[id]/positions Endpoint: Retrieving Historical and Future Positions

For users needing to track the ISS’s path over time or predict its future locations, the /satellites/[id]/positions endpoint is invaluable. It allows you to retrieve a list of position data points for up to 10 timestamps in a single request.

Example Resource URL:

https://api.wheretheiss.at/v1/satellites/25544/positions?timestamps=1436029892,1436029902&units=miles

Example Response:

[ { "name": "iss", "id": 25544, "latitude": -24.872011788413, "longitude": 17.600256937812, "altitude": 253.3204968444, "velocity": 17148.926453151, "visibility": "daylight", "footprint": 2761.5254566356, "timestamp": 1436029892, "daynum": 2457208.2163426, "solar_lat": 22.85465108118, "solar_lon": 283.22043315343, "units": "miles" }, { "name": "iss", "id": 25544, "latitude": -25.346134802867, "longitude": 18.047422455202, "altitude": 253.44244641825, "velocity": 17148.616662804, "visibility": "daylight", "footprint": 2762.1565371697, "timestamp": 1436029902, "daynum": 2457208.2164583, "solar_lat": 22.854640837166, "solar_lon": 283.17877169756, "units": "miles" } ]

Parameters:

Name	Description	Required	Default
timestamps	Specify a comma delimited list of timestamps for orbital positions, limit 10 per request	yes	none
units	Whether to use miles or kilometers	no	kilometers

Resource Information:

API Version	1
Response Format	json
Rate Limited?	Yes

To use this endpoint, you must provide a comma-separated list of Unix timestamps in the timestamps parameter. The example shows retrieving positions for two timestamps. The response is an array of JSON objects, each containing the same position data as the /satellites/[id] endpoint, but for the specified timestamps. This allows you to efficiently track the ISS over short periods or retrieve specific historical positions.

/satellites/[id]/tles Endpoint: Accessing TLE Data

TLE data is essential for advanced satellite tracking and orbital calculations. The /satellites/[id]/tles endpoint provides access to this data for the ISS.

Example Resource URL (json):

https://api.wheretheiss.at/v1/satellites/25544/tles

Example Response:

{ "requested_timestamp": 1364084064, "tle_timestamp": 1363892433, "id": "25544", "name": "iss", "header": "ISS (ZARYA)", "line1": "1 25544U 98067A 13080.79204657 .00024647 00000-0 40606-3 0 4540", "line2": "2 25544 51.6478 182.2316 0011718 59.7125 80.2831 15.52100765821132" }

Example Resource URL (text):

https://api.wheretheiss.at/v1/satellites/25544/tles?format=text

Example Response:

ISS (ZARYA)
1 25544U 98067A 13080.79204657 .00024647 00000-0 40606-3 0 4540
2 25544 51.6478 182.2316 0011718 59.7125 80.2831 15.52100765821132

Parameters:

Name	Description	Required	Default
format	response format, can be json or text	no	json

Resource Information:

API Version	1
Response Format	json or text
Rate Limited?	Yes

This endpoint provides TLE data in either JSON or plain text format, selectable via the format parameter. TLE data consists of two lines of text that encode the orbital parameters of a satellite. This data is frequently updated and used by software to predict the future path of the ISS with high precision.

/coordinates/[lat,lon] Endpoint: Timezone Information

While not directly related to “where is the ISS”, the /coordinates/[lat,lon] endpoint provides valuable geographical context. Given a latitude and longitude, it returns timezone information, country code, and a map URL for those coordinates.

Example Resource URL:

https://api.wheretheiss.at/v1/coordinates/37.795517,-122.393693

Example Response:

{ "latitude": "37.795517", "longitude": "-122.393693", "timezone_id": "America/Los_Angeles", "offset": -7, "country_code": "US", "map_url": "https://maps.google.com/maps?q=37.795517,-122.393693&z=4" }

Parameters: None

Resource Information:

API Version	1
Response Format	json
Rate Limited?	Yes

This endpoint is useful for applications that need to display local time information related to the ISS’s ground track or for any geographical application requiring timezone lookups. The response includes the timezone ID, the UTC offset, the country code, and a Google Maps URL for easy visualization of the location.

Conclusion

The WTIA REST API offers a powerful and user-friendly way to answer the question “where is the ISS?” and access a range of related space and geographical data. From real-time position tracking and historical data retrieval to TLE information and timezone lookups, this API provides valuable resources for developers, educators, and space enthusiasts alike. Explore the endpoints, experiment with the parameters, and start building your own ISS tracking applications today!