Orbital observatory

Two planets, four views
of orbital operations.

Explore NASA’s Mars relay visualization, compare Mars and Earth orbital paths, and open interactive Earth and Mars fleet simulations. Each view identifies whether its spacecraft are historical, proposed, or hypothetical.

Historical Proposed Simulation sample Active demo

NASA interactive

Mars Relay Network

NASA hosted

NASA’s separate interactive experience presents the Mars relay network in its own visualization and context.

Mars system sample

Orbiters, relays & proposals

Fixed epoch

Four historical Mars orbiters as of 1 January 2025, alongside six proposed telecommunications relays and three proposed imaging spacecraft.

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Earth system sample

OrbitFleet around Earth

Simulation

Twenty-four hypothetical spacecraft selected from OrbitFleet’s 200-object Earth simulation, shown over a two-hour playback.

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Operations

Mission control

Three demos active

Explore Earth and Mars operations, then compare how debris recoil changes orbital paths across controlled release cases.

EARTH / 01Open OrbitFleet

Inject simulated faults, approve responses, and inspect service changes alongside the telemetry used to assess them.

Launch console MARS / 02Open Mars mission control

Operate a proposed Mars fleet, inject relay and power faults, and compare local autonomy with delayed Earth approval.

Launch console DEBRIS / 03Kessler syndrome control

Compare debris recoil and the resulting orbital paths across controlled release cases.

Launch console