OrbitPulse is a modern, real-time space operations and satellite tracking application built with React Native and Expo SDK 57. It provides live telemetry, orbital path visualization, near-Earth object tracking, launch schedules, spaceflight news, and detailed space agency mission overviews across iOS and Android.
- Features
- Tech Stack
- Data & API Sources
- Application Screens
- Project Structure
- Offline & Cache Behavior
- Setup & Installation
- Environment Variables
- Running the App
- Security Guidelines
- Credits & Attributions
- License
- Live ISS Telemetry & Tracking: Real-time International Space Station positioning, velocity, altitude, and orbital trail visualization powered by MapLibre GL.
- ISS Pass Predictions: Observer-specific topocentric pass predictions with directional azimuths, elevation angles, and solar illumination visibility.
- Satellite Explorer: Track visual satellites and orbital groups with real-time propagation from CelesTrak Keplerian GP elements.
- Near-Earth Object (NEO) Monitor: Real-time telemetry on approaching asteroids, miss distances, estimated diameters, and threat scores powered by NASA's NeoWs API.
- Launch Schedule Tracker: Comprehensive countdowns, launch site details, rocket configurations, and webcast links for upcoming global space launches.
- Spaceflight News Feed: Aggregated space news with search and filter capabilities powered by Spaceflight News API (SNAPI v4).
- Space Agencies & Missions Directory: Curated profiles, agency assets, and operational status for major space agencies (NASA, ISRO, ESA, JAXA, CNSA) and iconic missions (JWST, Chandrayaan-3, Perseverance, Artemis I).
- Dark Operations Aesthetic: Curated color palette and dynamic dark/light theme switcher optimized for space telemetry visualization.
- Core Framework: React Native (
0.86.3) + Expo SDK 57 (~57.0.22) - Language: TypeScript (
~6.0.3) - Navigation: React Navigation v7 (
@react-navigation/native&@react-navigation/native-stack) - Mapping & Geospatial: MapLibre GL React Native (
^10.0.0) - Local Storage: @react-native-async-storage/async-storage (
^2.2.0) - Safe Area & UI Components:
react-native-safe-area-context&react-native-screens
OrbitPulse integrates with open, real-time public telemetry endpoints:
| Service / Data Provider | Data Type | Authentication | Endpoint / Provider |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASA NeoWs API | Near-Earth Object & Asteroid Telemetry | API Key (EXPO_PUBLIC_NASA_API_KEY) |
api.nasa.gov |
| CelesTrak | Satellite Orbital Elements (General Perturbations GP) | Public / HTTPS | celestrak.org |
| Where The ISS At? | Live ISS Position & Orbit Parameters | Public / HTTPS | wheretheiss.at |
| Launch Library 2 | Upcoming Global Space Launches | Public / HTTPS | ll.thespacedevs.com |
| Spaceflight News API (SNAPI v4) | Space News Articles & Coverage | Public / HTTPS | spaceflightnewsapi.net |
The application includes 16 specialized screens organized into distinct operational modules:
- HomeScreen: Operations dashboard with quick navigation, live telemetry summaries, and quick status metrics.
- TodayInSpaceScreen: Highlights of current orbital events, upcoming passes, and space news.
- ISSlocatorScreen: Real-time ISS map view with orbital path line, velocity, altitude, and directional vectors.
- ISSPassScreen: Sky pass predictor for the observer's location with pass duration and visibility details.
- SatelliteExplorerScreen: Interactive satellite tracking map categorized by satellite group (Visual, Weather, Science, Communication).
- SpacecraftTrackerScreen: Orbital view and parameters for active human and scientific spacecraft.
- SpacecraftDetailsScreen: Deep-dive technical specifications and telemetry for specific spacecraft.
- MeteorScreen: Near-Earth asteroid monitoring feed with sorting by threat score and close approach date.
- AsteroidDetailsScreen: Detailed trajectory, size estimate, and close approach metrics for individual asteroids.
- LaunchTrackerScreen: Chronological list of upcoming space launches with dynamic countdown tickers.
- LaunchDetailsScreen: Complete launch breakdown including pad location, rocket configuration, mission objectives, and webcast links.
- SpaceNewsScreen: Real-time space news stream with search filter for ISRO and global space agencies.
- SpaceAgenciesScreen: Overview of international space agencies (NASA, ISRO, ESA, JAXA, CNSA) and agency profiles.
- MissionExplorerScreen: Catalog of landmark space exploration missions categorized by destination and target.
- MissionDetailsScreen: Deep dive into individual space missions (JWST, Chandrayaan-3, Perseverance, etc.).
- UpdatesScreen: System status, telemetry cache parameters, and theme preferences.
OrbitPulse/
├── assets/ # App branding, icons, background images, and agency logos
├── src/
│ ├── context/ # Global React Context providers (ThemeContext)
│ ├── data/ # Static dataset definitions (missions, spacecraft, agencies)
│ ├── hooks/ # Custom React hooks (useISSTelemetry, useSatelliteExplorer)
│ ├── navigation/ # React Navigation stack config (AppNavigator)
│ ├── screens/ # Application screen components (16 operational views)
│ ├── services/ # Data fetching and persistent caching services
│ ├── theme/ # Design system color tokens, typography, and styles
│ ├── types/ # TypeScript interfaces and type definitions
│ └── utils/ # Helper utilities (time formatting, error handling, agency icons)
├── App.tsx # Root application component
├── index.ts # Application entry point
├── app.json # Expo project configuration
├── package.json # Dependencies and scripts
└── tsconfig.json # TypeScript configuration
OrbitPulse implements a persistent caching layer powered by @react-native-async-storage/async-storage via src/services/cacheService.ts.
- Graceful Fallbacks: When API network requests fail or rate limits (HTTP 429) occur, the application seamlessly serves previously cached telemetry snapshots.
- Cache Stale Indicators: Cache entries track creation timestamps and display stale indicators when data exceeds freshness thresholds (e.g., 24 hours for orbital data, 12 hours for news).
- Sanitized Errors: Raw exceptions, socket failures, and HTTP error codes are converted into user-friendly message strings using
src/utils/errorUtils.ts.
- Node.js (v18.x or later)
- npm or yarn
- Expo Go app on your mobile device OR Android Studio / Xcode for emulators.
-
Clone the Repository:
git clone https://github.com/your-username/OrbitPulse.git cd OrbitPulse -
Install Dependencies:
npm install
OrbitPulse requires a NASA API key for Near-Earth Object (NEO) telemetry fetching.
-
Create a
.envfile in the project root directory:touch .env
-
Add your NASA API key:
EXPO_PUBLIC_NASA_API_KEY=YOUR_NASA_API_KEY_HERE
Get a free API key at api.nasa.gov.
npm start
# OR
npx expo startnpm run android
# OR
npx expo run:androidnpm run ios
# OR
npx expo run:ios- Environment File Security:
.envand.env*.localfiles are included in.gitignoreand must never be committed to any source control system. - Client-Side Variables: Variables prefixed with
EXPO_PUBLIC_are bundled into the application binary at build time. Use only public, client-side API keys (such as NASA's public rate-limited key). Never expose private server secrets, AWS keys, or master database passwords in React Native client applications. - No Hardcoded Credentials: Ensure no developer API keys or private tokens are hardcoded inside JavaScript or TypeScript source files.
OrbitPulse relies on telemetry and data provided by the international space community:
- NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) — Near-Earth Object Web Service (NeoWs) & mission assets.
- CelesTrak — Two-Line Element (TLE) & General Perturbations (GP) satellite orbital elements.
- Where The ISS At? — Real-time ISS position data.
- The Space Devs (Launch Library 2) — Launch schedule and rocket configuration data.
- Spaceflight News API (SNAPI) — Spaceflight news articles and coverage.
- ISRO, ESA, JAXA, CNSA — Mission and agency reference information.
This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for complete details.
Developed by dslord