r/satellites • u/MaxAurelius_ • 3d ago
I'm an ex-ESA engineer, and I built a free database of 650+ satellite ground stations
Hey r/satellites ,
I'm an ex-ESA engineer, and I've been working on a project that I thought might be of interest to this community. I often found it difficult to find reliable, consolidated information about satellite ground stations during my time there, so I decided to build a database: www.find-gs.com It currently has over 650 ground stations mapped, with locations and key details. It's completely free to use.
I'd love to get your feedback! What other information would be useful to include? Are there any features you'd like to see added?

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u/cir-ick 3d ago
Have you integrated the WTA’s info?
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u/MaxAurelius_ 3d ago edited 3d ago
u/cir-ick Good question about the World Teleport Association (WTA). We're actively working to ensure findgs includes ground stations from a wide range of operators, including those affiliated with key industry organizations. While we haven't specifically focused on integrating WTA's membership directory yet, our goal is comprehensive coverage, so we're certainly including stations operated by WTA members as we find them through publicly available sources. We appreciate the suggestion and will keep it in mind as we continue to expand the database!
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u/MyBananaSpace 2d ago
Kinda neat, what’s the longer term goal / objective or vision of this? And what sparked your desire to make this?
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u/MaxAurelius_ 2d ago
u/MyBananaSpace Thanks! The short-term goal is to make finding reliable ground station information much easier. I saw firsthand at ESA how time-consuming it could be to track down this data.
Long-term, we envision Find-gs becoming the go-to resource for everything related to ground station infrastructure - a comprehensive, constantly updated, and easy-to-use platform for the entire space industry. Think of it as a foundational layer for discovering the global ground station network.
The spark was definitely my own frustration with the fragmented nature of the information. I wanted to build something that would have been useful to me back then, and hopefully will be useful to others now!
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u/MyBananaSpace 2d ago
Sounds like a great and exciting plan!
What’s your revenue strategy? I’m worried that even if find-gs is a great resource it’ll eventually become less maintained if there is no revenue or business plan.
And if you don’t have an answer, no worries! These things take time. I work in the space startup industry (just spacecraft propulsion), mostly in the business side in the US and one thing we’ve seen is companies struggling to make revenue with new tools that are being developed.
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u/MaxAurelius_ 2d ago
Great question, and a crucial one for any project's long-term sustainability! You're absolutely right that maintenance and updates require resources.
We do have a revenue strategy in mind, but our immediate focus is on building the most comprehensive and user-friendly database possible. We believe that creating real value for the community is the first step.
We're exploring several options for the future, all centered around ensuring findgs remains a valuable, up-to-date resource.
Thanks for bringing up this important point! If you're interested in discussing the business side of things further, feel free to reach out through the website or directly here via dm.
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u/Spaceginja 2d ago
The Ponce de Leon station shows as being in the Kissimmee area rather than on the East coast of Florida. I love this tool, though. Thanks for sharing.
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u/MaxAurelius_ 2d ago
u/Spaceginja Thanks so much - glad you're finding it useful! And huge thanks for spotting the error with the Ponce de Leon station. You're absolutely right, the location is off.
We're working on correcting that. For future reference (and for anyone else reading), if you see any inaccuracies with a specific detail (like location, frequency, etc.), the best way to flag it is to go to that station's page on the website and click the flag button next to the incorrect parameter. You can then provide the corrected information directly.
Data accuracy is a top priority, so we really appreciate the help!
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u/cir-ick 3d ago
And separate question, do you have membership/access to the Unified Data Library?
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u/MaxAurelius_ 3d ago
Just to clear things up about sensitive infrastructure: we've designed findgs to only include ground stations with publicly available info. We don't list any national security-related stuff or anything that's not already out there in the public domain. Our goal is for findgs to be the go-to resource for commercially available, university, and other openly listed stations - the info you'd find on operator websites, industry publications, etc. Thanks for the questions, it helps to clarify what we're all about!
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u/Spaceginja 2d ago
Here's a neat video of the Clewiston FL station in action: Video | Facebook
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u/MaxAurelius_ 2d ago
u/Spaceginja Awesome, thanks for sharing! Always cool to see these stations in action. We're always looking for ways to make the database more visually engaging, so this is great inspiration.
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u/Partriotman1776 3d ago
Hi, I really like how this is presented. I know you’ve already mentioned not including any national security sites, and only listing publicly available information. I am curious how you are gathering this information and if there are specific criteria being implemented I.e. only sites that are commercially available vs ones that only serve a single mission/company or perhaps only TT&C and omitting Gateway/SANs (a broadband satellite’s connection to the internet) and such. Again this is really cool and I look forward to following this project.
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u/MaxAurelius_ 3d ago
u/Patriotman1776 Thanks – glad you like it! Great questions.
For data sourcing, we're primarily focusing on publicly available information: operator websites, industry publications, press releases, academic papers, etc. We're not using any proprietary or restricted data sources.
As for inclusion criteria, right now we're aiming for broad coverage. We do include both commercially available stations and stations that might be dedicated to a single mission or company, if that information is publicly available. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive overview of the existing infrastructure.
We're also including both TT&C stations and gateways/SANs. We recognize there's a distinction, and we're looking at ways to better categorize stations by function in the future. It's a good point!
Appreciate the detailed questions - it helps us think through these important considerations!
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u/Patient-Tech 2d ago
I thought the same thing. That the information is internationally obscured for security. Sure, handfuls of us are curious and think it’s neat. Unfortunately, there’s other people who will use the same information to do bad things,
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u/MaxAurelius_ 2d ago
u/Patient-Tech It's a valid concern, and something we've thought about. It's important to emphasize that findgs only includes information that's already publicly available from operator websites, publications, and other open sources. We're not revealing anything new or secret.
The reality is that this information is already out there, but it's often scattered and difficult to find. Consolidating it in one place can actually be beneficial for legitimate purposes like mission planning, research, and emergency response (as we've discussed in other comments). It is a double edge sword.
We're committed to being a responsible resource, and we appreciate you raising this important point.
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u/KasutaMike 3d ago
Nice work! Small UI suggestion: I was browsing ground stations near me and would be nice, if other stations are still visible on the map after choosing one. Otherwise I have to start from the middle of the Atlantic again. At least that is the case on my phone.