Ground Station Pass Duration Calculator

Visible pass time from orbit altitude and station latitude.

Orbital altitude (km)

Min elevation angle (deg)

Station latitude (deg)

Downlink data rate (Mbps)

Tab to move between fields

Max pass duration (min)

7.94

Passes per day

Data per day (MB)

3,871.4

Avg pass duration (min)5.16

Orbital period (min)95.5

Revolutions per day15.04

Coverage radius (deg)14.97

Data per max pass (MB)2,978

Cos Rho0.39

Sin Elev Plus Rho0.97

How to Use This Calculator

Enter orbital altitude (km) and minimum usable elevation angle (degrees, typically 5–15°).
Set your ground station latitude (degrees) and downlink data rate (Mbps).
Review maximum and average pass duration (min), passes per day, and orbital period.
Use data downlinked per pass (GB) to verify the ground station can receive all mission data.
Multiple ground stations significantly increase daily contact time — model each station separately.

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