pyorbital
Scheduling satellite passes in Python
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. Pyorbital is a stable, actively maintained library with low install friction and no security vulnerabilities. It fills a specific niche in satellite orbital mechanics with a permissive license. Install it if you need TLE parsing, satellite pass prediction, or orbital position calculations; skip it if your work does not involve satellite scheduling or tracking.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.10 or later; TLE data (Two-Line Element sets) must be provided or obtained separately.
- Low install friction with a pure Python wheel distribution.
- Active maintenance status with a recent release (162 days ago).
License · maintenance · safety
Apache-2.0 (permissive) — Apache-2.0 permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; you must retain license notices but face no copyleft obligations.
last release 2026-03-05 (162 days)
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 89,817 downloads/mo, #13,633 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install pyorbital
from pyorbital.orbital import Orbital
orb = Orbital('ISS (ZARYA)', line1=tle_line1, line2=tle_line2)
lon, lat, alt = orb.get_lonlatalt(utc_time)- Specific astronomical computation capabilities beyond TLE parsing and satellite pass prediction.
- Integration points with the broader Pytroll project ecosystem and whether those are required for typical use.
What it is and what it does
Pyorbital is a Python library for orbital mechanics and satellite scheduling, built around parsing and computing orbital parameters from TLE (Two-Line Element) files. It handles the mathematical core of satellite pass prediction—determining when and where a satellite will be visible from a given location—and provides general astronomical calculations. The package is part of the Pytroll project and is designed for researchers and engineers working with satellite data.
The library depends on numpy and scipy for numerical computation, pyproj for geographic coordinate transformations, and requests for data retrieval. It targets Python 3.10 and later and is classified as production-stable. With no known security vulnerabilities and a permissive Apache-2.0 license, it is suitable for both research and operational satellite tracking applications.
Use it for
- Schedule satellite observation windows by computing pass times and visibility windows for a given ground location.
- Parse and validate TLE data to extract current orbital elements for satellite tracking applications.
- Calculate satellite position (longitude, latitude, altitude) at any given UTC time for mission planning.
- Integrate satellite pass prediction into Earth observation or remote sensing workflows.
- Build satellite scheduling tools for ground station operations or data collection campaigns.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
Pyorbital is a stable, actively maintained library with low install friction and no security vulnerabilities. It fills a specific niche in satellite orbital mechanics with a permissive license. Install it if you need TLE parsing, satellite pass prediction, or orbital position calculations; skip it if your work does not involve satellite scheduling or tracking.
Install
pyorbital on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a pure Python wheel distribution. Active maintenance status with a recent release (162 days ago). Depends on established scientific libraries (numpy, scipy, pyproj) and standard utilities (requests, defusedxml, donfig).
Requires Python 3.10 or later; TLE data (Two-Line Element sets) must be provided or obtained separately.
License in practice
Apache-2.0 permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; you must retain license notices but face no copyleft obligations.
Quickstart
pip install pyorbital
from pyorbital.orbital import Orbital
orb = Orbital('ISS (ZARYA)', line1=tle_line1, line2=tle_line2)
lon, lat, alt = orb.get_lonlatalt(utc_time)Verify before relying
- Specific astronomical computation capabilities beyond TLE parsing and satellite pass prediction.
- Integration points with the broader Pytroll project ecosystem and whether those are required for typical use.
Package facts
| License | Apache-2.0 permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 6 packagesdefusedxmldonfignumpypyprojrequestsscipy |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 162 days since the last release |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 89,817 / month, #13,633 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: Science/ResearchOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonTopic :: Scientific/EngineeringTopic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Astronomy |
Evidence: pyorbital-1.12.1-py3-none-any.whl
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