Orbital Guardian: Real-Time Space Debris Simulator

An interactive platform combining real TLE data, ML models, and gameplay to raise awareness about orbital sustainability.

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Inspiration

The increasing risk of orbital congestion and the Kessler Syndrome, as warned by NASA and ESA, inspired us to create a platform that makes space debris data visually accessible and educational. With thousands of satellites and fragments circling Earth, we saw the need for a real-time, intuitive tool to promote awareness and sustainability in space.

What it does

Orbital Guardian visualizes real-time space debris using NORAD TLE data, simulates orbital mechanics, and uses machine learning to predict future growth in debris. It provides interactive graphics, collision risk analysis, satellite metadata on hover, and educational insights to help users understand the urgency of space sustainability.

How we built it

We built the frontend with React 18, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS for responsive UI. For real-time orbital visualization, we used p5.js and the satellite.js library to implement SGP4/SDP4 propagation models. Machine learning models were used for debris growth prediction. Live NORAD TLE data was integrated via CORS-enabled APIs.

Source

Github Details

Deploy website

TLE Data Sources (CelesTrak)

Active Satellites https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/gp.php?GROUP=active&FORMAT=tle

Iridium Debris https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/gp.php?GROUP=iridium-33-debris&FORMAT=tle

Weather Satellites https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/gp.php?GROUP=weather&FORMAT=tle

Earth Resources https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/gp.php?GROUP=resource&FORMAT=tle

Communication Sats (GEO) https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/gp.php?GROUP=geo&FORMAT=tle

COSMOS 2251 Debris https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/gp.php?GROUP=cosmos-2251-debris&FORMAT=tle

Recent Launches (Last 30 Days) https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/gp.php?GROUP=last-30-days&FORMAT=tle

Challenges we ran into

**- Handling large real-time TLE datasets efficiently without performance lag

Implementing accurate SGP4 propagation with smooth rendering

Designing a mobile-responsive UI while maintaining advanced 3D visualizations

Predictive modeling of orbital growth required extensive dataset cleanup and tuning**

Accomplishments that we're proud of

**- Successfully visualized real-time orbital debris from live CelesTrak data

Built a fully functional predictive model for 10-year debris growth

Delivered an educational, user-friendly interface with interactive tooltips and chart overlays

Enabled toggling between different satellite groups and debris clouds**

What we learned

**- The complexity of orbital mechanics and propagation models

How to integrate live aerospace data streams into frontend visual systems

The power of combining education, data science, and visual design to promote global issues

Techniques for optimizing performance in data-heavy interactive apps**

What's next for Orbital Guardian: Real-Time Space Debris Simulator

**- Add alert systems for potential satellite-debris collisions

Expand the ML model with reinforcement learning for debris mitigation simulations

Integrate with external satellite APIs like Space-Track or OpenSpace

Build a classroom mode for educators to use this tool in space science lessons

Release as an open-source tool with contributions from the space and data science community**

Built With

  • bolt.new
  • canvas-api
  • celestrak-norad-tle-data
  • cors
  • custom-ml-models
  • github
  • javascript-(es6+)
  • netlify
  • p5.js
  • react-18
  • satellite.js
  • tailwind-css
  • typescript
  • vercel
  • vite
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