New app for Apple lets users see if satellites are overhead

If you’ve ever been curious about whether you’ve ever been seen by a satellite, there’s now an app for that. Orbit Logic has just created SpyMeSat, a mobile app available for Apple devices that alerts users when they are within range of an image or spy satellite that might be photographing them.

A company that normally provides apps for the military and defense communities, SpyMeSat is Orbit Logic’s first app for the common man, according its president Alex Herz. SpyMeSat provides users with a satellite map that shows orbit tracks and the location of the remote sensing satellites with upcoming passes over the user’s specific location, complete with the real-time position and imaging resolution information of the satellite, so users know exactly how good the picture of them is going to be. 

 

 Use SpyMeSat to track satellite trajectories nearby
Users will receive an alert when an imaging satellite is in range, and the app can also provide users with a picture and description of the satellite as well as information about the satellite’s trajectory, should they require more thorough information.

The app accesses multiple sources of data to provide its users with accurate information, including orbit data from the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD. NORAD’s information is then combined with available public information about both commercial and international imaging satellites.

SpyMeSat does not have access to the orbit information of classified imaging satellites from any nation, so it is still possible for a satellite to photograph you without your knowledge, but the app certainly opens users to a greater degree of satellite orbit information than they had before. On the other hand, users should bear in mind that just because a satellite is within range to photograph them doesn’t necessarily mean that they are being photographed, so a SpyMeSat notification is also no cause to panic. While the app certainly raises privacy issues, we will simply have to wait and see what its effect will be in the future.

SpyMeSat is available for download on iTunes.

 

Sources Space.com, Discovery.com, Apple.com