StellarStation calculates pass predictions based on provided TLE. We update our TLE data in two ways: automatically from online sources or manually via the UI, CLI, or API.

Automatic TLE Update

If a NORAD ID is registered for a satellite, StellarStation automatically fetches the latest TLE from space-track.org every hour. This mode is expected to be used during nominal operations. To register a NORAD ID for your satellite within StellarStation, please contact support@stellarstation.com.

Manual TLE Upload

Users can manually upload TLE via the GUI or via either the API or CLI. This mode is expected to be used during LEOP or by those who require more accurate TLE than the ones provided by SpaceTrack. 

To upload TLE manually from GUI, click the pencil icon next to "TLE" in the satellite console.

Then copy and paste your TLE into the console. Please click "Save" at the bottom after making sure that the format is correct.  When manually creating or editing TLE lines, please be sure that the checksum field is valid.

To upload TLE manually from the CLI, please use the following command:

stellar sat add-tle

Switching TLE Update Modes

StellarStation always uses the TLE that was most recently uploaded for the preferred TLE source. Allowed types are MANUAL for user-provided TLE and NORAD for TLE supplied by an external source such as space-track.org. Explicit control of TLE source is made available to users through the satellite console, API, and CLI.

It is important to note that if no TLE exists for the selected source then no TLE will be used for orbit calculations; this means no passes will be returned if the user has not provided TLE and the preference is set to MANUAL.

Satellite Console

If a user enters TLE through the satellite console, the TLE source will automatically be set to MANUAL. If a user submits an empty TLE string then the TLE source will be set to NORAD and TLE will continue to be updated by our automated process.

CLI

Users can set the TLE source preference using the following command:

stellar satellite set-tle-source [Satellite ID] [Source]