Earth Observation
Fires a laser altimeter 10,000 times per second to measure the height of ice sheets, sea ice, and forest canopies to within centimeters — the primary tool for tracking how fast polar ice is thinning.
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 ICESat-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.