SGP4
SGP4 is the standard mathematical model that turns a satellite's TLE into a predicted position and velocity at any given time.
It accounts for the main perturbations acting on low Earth orbits, such as atmospheric drag and Earth's equatorial bulge.
Nearly every live tracker, Cosmik included, runs SGP4 on fresh TLEs to place objects on the map; its accuracy fades over days, so the elements are updated often.
See it live on Cosmik
Related terms
- TLE — A TLE (two-line element set) is a compact, standardized text format that encodes a satellite's orbit at a specific moment in two 69-character lines.
- Orbital period — The orbital period is the time a satellite takes to complete one full orbit, set almost entirely by its altitude.
