Predict upcoming satellite passes for a ground location using the N2YO REST API
domain: n2yo.com · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
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Steps
Register an N2YO account, open your profile page, and generate a REST API key (license key).
Look up the target satellite's NORAD catalog ID beforehand, since the pass-prediction endpoints require it as a path parameter.
Send a GET request to https://api.n2yo.com/rest/v1/satellite/radiopasses/{NORAD_ID}/{lat}/{lng}/{alt}/{days}/{min_elevation}/&apiKey=YOUR_KEY to get radio-relevant pass predictions, which do not require the satellite to be optically visible (unlike the separate visualpasses endpoint).
Parse the JSON response's 'passes' array for start/end azimuth, elevation, and UTC timestamps for each predicted pass.
Track your call volume against the documented limit of roughly 1,000 transactions per hour to avoid having your API key suspended.
Known gotchas
radiopasses does not require optical visibility, unlike visualpasses; this matters for satellites you intend to work by radio during daylight or while the satellite is in Earth's shadow.
Exceeding roughly 1,000 requests per hour, or polling too aggressively, risks suspension or banning of your API key; cache TLE-derived predictions locally rather than re-requesting on every check.
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