Earth Observation
A European radar altimetry mission built specifically to measure the thickness of polar sea ice and monitor the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets as they respond to climate change.
Position is computed in real time using two-line element (TLE) orbital data from CelesTrak and the SGP4 propagation model — the same standard used across the satellite tracking industry.
The globe recalculates CryoSat-2's position continuously, and refreshes its orbital elements from CelesTrak every few minutes to keep predictions accurate as the orbit naturally decays and is corrected.
Also see Tiangong (CSS), NOAA-20 (JPSS-1), GOES-16, or browse the full satellite catalog.