TRMM Satellite Overflight Finder Title Page Logo
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The "TRMM Overflight Finder" page allows users to search for passes of the TRMM satellite near any location on the Earth. To run the TRMM Overflight Finder just enter a location (latitude and longitude), a start and end date, and a search radius, and then hit the "Search for Orbit(s)" button.

|------ Position for which to identify overflights ------|
Degrees (+/-40 with positive North)
Degrees (+/-180 with positive East)

|--------- Start Date ---------| |--------- End Date ---------|

   km

Notes on accuracy and overflight patterns: For past overflights, accuracy is generally better than 20 kilometers in cross track position and within about a minute in time. However future overflight predictions will be less accurate, as described in our detailed overflight prediction accuracy discussion, which includes plots showing the latest trends and the date when historical data has been most recently updated. Some discussion of the patterns for the times of day of overflights is available to explain why the local times of overflight roughly change with a 46 day cycle. Also available is some discussion of how to find TRMM Overflights coincident with TERRA (EOS A.M.) or any other sun synchronous satellites.

Notes on mission status and operational background: TRMM operations are now expected to be maintained at least through the spring of 2005 as noted in a Jan. 4, 2005 NASA press release. The TRMM orbit was boosted in August 2001 from its initial 350 kilometer operating altitude to a 402.5 kilometer operating altitude. (Note this is a mean altitude defined from the orbit parameters while the average TRMM altitude above sea level is a couple kilometers lower, and the actual geodetic height above sea level varies over +/- 5 kilometers mainly due to the Earth's ellipsoidal shape which is flattened at the poles.) With the August 2001 orbit raising the average instrument swath sizes increased by about 15 percent. The orbit maintaince at the 402.5 kilometer altitude was suspended temporarily in July 2005, but then reinstated through the hurricane season while the benefits of TRMM were reviewed in an interim National Academies report released in January 2005.

This page was developed by the TRMM Science and Data Information System (TSDIS). Questions about this web site and the overflight predictions can be directed by e-mail to Steve Bilanow or Michael Hensley at

This image is the email address for Steve Bilanow. We are hiding the email address in a JPEG image to keep spammer bots from finding it. His email address is Steve dot Bilanow at gsfc dot nasa dot gov. or This image is the email address for Michael Hensley. We are hiding the email address in a JPEG image to keep spammer bots from finding it. His email address is Michael dot Hensley at gsfc dot nasa dot gov.

Responsible NASA Official: Erich Stocker, Code 610, NASA/GSFC

This page is maintained by Michael Hensley, RSIS / RS Information Systems Inc.

Last updated: June 23, 2008

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