Getting TLEs

The orbital elements in the TLE files are obtained from actual observations and measurements (Mainly by the US Space Command). There are a few places in the internet where they can be downloaded. The default files used in this site are for communication satellites only and are updated every couple of weeks from one of these sources.

If you need elements for other satellites or more recent ones they can be found in the links below.
You can copy the URL and have the scripts in this page process them, however it should be noted that the results in these pages are not actual prediction but estimations, accurate enough for use in GEO satellites only.

• Celestrak is the premier site for getting TLEs. They are text files sorted by category that can be accessed directly from the browser.
• NASA's Orbital Information Group is the official US government provider of orbital information. It offers some sophisticated search features, unfortunately the site requires that you apply for registration which may or may not be granted.
• Mike McCants has very good collections of TLEs. Currently the script in these pages can not use them but they are provided also as zipped files. But if you already are getting the files to your computer you might as well feed them to a decent application.
• Ken Ernandes provides a single list with many non-GEO spacecrafts.