Isar Aerospace and Rocket Factory Augsburg both closed fresh ESA funding rounds this week, and Europe’s launch cadence is finally starting to look like something. That is on top of the usual SpaceX rhythm and China’s steady manifest, which together mean there is a rocket going up somewhere in the world most days now.
We picked seven Android apps that keep pace. Some are launch trackers, some are satellite trackers that also flag imminent launches, and one is NASA’s own app that quietly covers most of the same ground. Between them they cover live countdowns, orbital predictions and post-launch coverage.
What matters in a launch tracker
- Countdown accuracy. A launch time can move by minutes at T-30. The tracker needs to update fast.
- Notifications. T-24h, T-1h and T-10min alerts, ideally configurable per mission.
- Coverage breadth. Not just NASA and SpaceX — ISRO, JAXA, Rocket Lab, Firefly, Isar, RFA, and Chinese state agencies should all show up.
- Live stream links. A one-tap jump to the official broadcast, not a search.
- Offline mission archive. So you can plan a viewing pass without a signal.
Quick comparison
| App | Live countdowns | Post-launch archive | Satellite pass predictions | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Space Launch Now | Yes | Yes | No | Free |
| Next Spaceflight | Yes | Yes | No | Free |
| Look4Sat | No | No | Yes | Free / open-source |
| Heavens-Above | Limited | Limited | Yes | Free |
| Stellarium | No | No | Yes | Free / paid pro |
| ISS Detector | Limited | No | Yes | Free / paid |
| NASA App | Yes | Yes | No | Free |
1. Space Launch Now - Tracker — Best all-round tracker
Space Launch Now is the community-favourite launch tracker on Android and it earned that spot. Coverage runs from the biggest SpaceX Starship tests down to the tiny European and Indian smallsat launchers you would otherwise never hear about. Countdowns update in near-real-time, and the notifications let you pick per-agency filters so you are not woken up for every SpaceX rideshare.
Mission pages are dense in the good way: rocket family, launch pad, orbit target, payload manifest, and a link to the official webcast when one exists.
Where it falls short: the calendar view is functional but not pretty. Prefer the list view for planning.
Pricing: free with an optional subscription that removes ads.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: the default install. It covers Isar, RFA, Rocket Lab and everyone else on the current launch manifest.
2. Next Spaceflight — Best sibling app
Next Spaceflight covers similar ground with a different presentation. The homepage is a scrolling timeline of upcoming launches with the next one pinned at the top and a live countdown you can watch from the lock screen widget.
The reason to install both is redundancy. When a launch slips at the last minute — as they often do — one app usually catches the update before the other.
Where it falls short: thinner post-launch coverage than Space Launch Now.
Pricing: free.
Download: available on Google Play under “Next Spaceflight”.
Bottom line: pair with Space Launch Now for the fastest slip-detection.
3. Look4Sat — Best open-source satellite tracker
Look4Sat is the app for anyone who wants to see the payload after it reaches orbit. It pulls TLEs from Celestrak, predicts passes for any satellite by NORAD ID, and shows the sky path in a live-camera overlay so you can point your phone and find the pass without a paper chart.
It is not a launch tracker per se, but a new satellite gets its first predictable pass within a couple of days of launch, and Look4Sat is where you meet it.
Where it falls short: no launch notifications. Pair with Space Launch Now.
Pricing: free, open-source.
Download: available on F-Droid and Google Play under “Look4Sat”.
Bottom line: the best open-source pass predictor on Android.
4. Heavens-Above — Best long-established database
Heavens-Above has been the reference sky database on the web for two decades and its Android app carries the same catalogue: satellites, comets, planets, Iridium flares before that constellation deorbited, and now the growing catalogue of Starlink groups.
The launch calendar is basic, but the app’s real strength is the passes list you can customise by orbit and brightness.
Where it falls short: the UI is dated. It works, but it looks like a 2015 app.
Pricing: free.
Download: available on Google Play under “Heavens-Above”.
Bottom line: the pick for anyone who already used Heavens-Above on the web.
5. Stellarium — Best sky map integration
Stellarium is the mobile port of the desktop planetarium software. It renders the sky exactly as you see it, and it flags satellites and the ISS in real time so you can watch a rocket body drift through your local constellations.
It handles launch coverage tangentially: a fresh mission’s rocket body shows up in the catalogue quickly and you can track its decay.
Where it falls short: not a live launch app. Use for the sky, not the countdown.
Pricing: free with a paid Plus version that adds a much larger star catalogue.
Download: available on Google Play under “Stellarium” from Noctua Software.
Bottom line: install if you want a proper planetarium alongside your launch tracker.
6. ISS Detector — Best for casual watchers
ISS Detector started as an ISS pass tracker and grew to cover Iridium (RIP), Starlink, Tiangong and a bunch of others. It also flags major upcoming launches with a simple alert.
The augmented-reality view is genuinely useful for pointing kids at a passing station without having to fight with paper coordinates.
Where it falls short: the launch calendar is limited compared with Space Launch Now.
Pricing: free with paid extensions for satellites and comets.
Download: available on Google Play under “ISS Detector” from RunaR.
Bottom line: install for family-friendly sky watching alongside a serious tracker.
7. NASA App — Best official archive
The official NASA App does not compete on launch coverage — it does not pretend to know about Isar or RFA — but for anything NASA-adjacent, from Artemis to Europa Clipper coverage, it is the authoritative source. Live video is built in, along with the enormous NASA image archive.
Where it falls short: US-agency-only. Nothing from ESA, ISRO, JAXA or China unless it is a joint mission.
Pricing: free.
Download: available on Google Play under “NASA” from NASA.
Bottom line: the primary source for NASA missions. Pair with Space Launch Now for everything else.
How to choose
Install Space Launch Now and Next Spaceflight first — one will always catch a launch slip before the other. Add Look4Sat or Heavens-Above if you want to see the payload after launch. NASA App covers NASA specifically. ISS Detector and Stellarium are the picks for casual sky-watching alongside serious tracking.
FAQ
Which app tracks European small-launcher missions?
Space Launch Now and Next Spaceflight both track Isar Aerospace, RFA and MaiaSpace launches as they come onto the manifest. NASA App does not.
Do these apps work offline?
Space Launch Now and Next Spaceflight cache the current manifest so you can browse offline. Live countdown updates and stream links need a connection. Look4Sat can predict passes offline once TLEs are refreshed.
Are any of these on iPhone?
Space Launch Now, NASA App, Heavens-Above and ISS Detector all ship for iOS. Look4Sat is Android-only.
How accurate are the countdowns?
Within seconds for major launches when the app is connected. Slip windows are pulled from official agency schedules, so they lag manual updates by a few minutes at most.
What is the best free rocket launch app on Android?
Space Launch Now. It is comprehensive, updated fast, and free with optional ad removal.
