Data modes
- Verified live data — fetched moments ago from a source that publishes current measurements. No feature currently uses this label: none of our public sources stream real spacecraft telemetry.
- Recent official data — agency data or ephemerides, not a real-time telemetry stream.
- Computed — calculated by SpaceWonder from published elements or physics.
- Historical data — recorded values from past missions.
- Educational simulation — synthetic values for teaching; never real telemetry.
If a source is unavailable we show an error state. We never substitute invented values.
Sources
Spacecraft range, range-rate, heliocentric position and 30-day distance history in Mission Control.
Queried at most hourly per spacecraft; history daily. Labelled 'Recent official data'.
Planet positions in the Cosmic Atlas, the Mission Control solar map and the Earth–Mars distance.
Computed in your browser. Labelled 'Computed'.
Physical data for planets, dwarf planets and moons.
Reviewed manually; review date shown on each page.
Live exoplanet search (Planetary Systems Composite Parameters table via TAP).
Cached up to 24 hours; retrieval time shown with results.
Latest ISS two-line element set (TLE). SpaceWonder propagates it with the SGP4 model (satellite.js) to compute the ISS position, altitude and speed.
TLE refreshed every 4 hours (CelesTrak asks clients not to poll more often); position recomputed every second in Mission Control. Labelled 'Computed' — it is a calculated position, not telemetry. Element sets older than 7 days are rejected.
Fallback ISS position (also computed from NORAD TLEs) if CelesTrak is unreachable.
Used only when the primary source fails.
Headlines and summaries from NASA, ESA and established space publications.
Cached for minutes. Every item links to its original publisher.
Upcoming launch schedule.
Cached hourly to respect the free-tier limit.
Astronomy Picture of the Day.
Cached hourly. Copyrighted images are linked, not embedded.
Physical constants, the astronomical unit, parsec and nominal solar values used in every calculator.
Fixed constants.
Endorsement
Use of these public services does not imply endorsement of SpaceWonder by NASA, JPL, Caltech, ESA or any other organisation.
Last updated 2026-10-23.