ISS Spotter Integration for Home Assistant

Since this integration scrapes data from a website it can stop working at any time

The ISS Spotter integration for Home Assistant allows you to track upcoming ISS (International Space Station) sightings based on your location. This integration fetches data from the NASA Spot The Station website and presents it in Home Assistant as a sensor with the next visible sighting and additional details in the attributes.

Features

• Displays the next ISS sighting time.
• Shows additional details, including duration, maximum elevation, and where the ISS will appear and disappear in the sky.
• Number of Astronauts on ISS and their names (from open-notify).
• Automatically updates when new sighting data is available.
• Filter for minimum maximum elevation and minimum visible time.

Installation

1. Install via HACS:

   • 
   • In the bottom right corner click Download.

2. Manual Installation:

   • Download or clone this repository.
   • Place the iss_spotter folder in your Home Assistant custom_components directory.

     /config/custom_components/iss_spotter/

3. Restart Home Assistant to load the integration.

Configuration

Add the Integration via UI:

• Go to Configuration > Integrations in Home Assistant.
• Click + Add Integration and search for ISS Spotter.
• Enter the URL for the ISS sighting data (e.g., Germany Freiburg im Breisgau).
• Set a minimal height it should reach and the minimum time in minutes it should be visible.
• The integration will automatically create a sensor entity and fetch the sighting data.

How to Get the Correct URL for ISS Sightings

To get the correct URL for the ISS sightings based on your location, follow these steps:

1. Visit the NASA Spot the Station Website:

   • Go to NASA Spot the Station.

2. Enter Your Location:

   • Enter your location in the "City" field. You can enter your city or a nearby city.

3. Get the URL:

   • After entering your location, you will see a map where you can choose the nearest viewpoint. Click on it.
   • Look at the URL in your browser’s address bar. It should look something like this:

     https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/sightings/view.cfm?country=Germany&region=None&city=Freiburg_im_Breisgau
     

   • This URL is the one you need to use in the ISS Spotter integration configuration.

4. Use the URL in Home Assistant:

   • Copy the URL from your browser's address bar and paste it into the configuration of the ISS Spotter integration in Home Assistant.

Notification

pyscript

from datetime import datetime, timedelta

time_triggers = {}
time_in_minutes_to_notify_before = 3

@time_trigger("startup")
@state_trigger("sensor.iss_freiburg_im_breisgau")
def time_trigger_start_time():
    date = str(state.get("sensor.iss_freiburg_im_breisgau"))
    attributes = state.getattr("sensor.iss_freiburg_im_breisgau")
    visible_time = str(attributes["duration"])
    max_height = str(attributes["max_elevation"])
    service.call("notify", "smarpthone", message="🌍🛰️New date for ISS sighting: " + date + "\nIt will be visible for " + visible_time + " and it will reach a elevation of " + max_height + ".")
    time_trigger_factory("sensor.iss_freiburg_im_breisgau",notify_Func,"notify_Func","my_args")

def notify_Func(arg):
    attributes = state.getattr("sensor.iss_freiburg_im_breisgau")
    visible_time = str(attributes["duration"])
    max_height = str(attributes["max_elevation"])
    service.call("notify", "smartphone", message="👀🛰️The ISS will be visible IN " + str(time_in_minutes_to_notify_before) + " MINUTES! It will be visible for " + visible_time + " and it will reach a elevation of " + max_height + ".")

def time_trigger_factory(sensor_entity,func_handle,func_name,*args,**kwargs):
    time_val = datetime.fromisoformat(str(state.get(sensor_entity))) - timedelta(minutes=time_in_minutes_to_notify_before)
    time_val = time_val.strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')

    @time_trigger(f"once({time_val})")
    def func_trig():
        nonlocal args, kwargs
        func_handle(*args,**kwargs)

    time_triggers[func_name] = func_trig

yaml

alias: ISS Notification
description: "Send a notification 3 minutes before the ISS sighting."
trigger:
  - platform: template
    value_template: >
      {{ (as_timestamp(states('sensor.iss_freiburg_im_breisgau')) - as_timestamp(now())) <= 180 }}
condition: []
action:
  - service: notify.mobile_app_your_device_name
    data:
      title: "ISS sighting soon!"
      message: >
        The ISS will be visible in 3 minutes! Next sightings:
        {{ states('sensor.iss_freiburg_im_breisgau') }}.
      data:
        tag: iss_notification
mode: single

GUI

Markdown card

<ha-icon icon="mdi:space-station"></ha-icon>  {{ as_datetime(states('sensor.iss_freiburg_im_breisgau')).strftime('%m/%d/%Y %I:%M %p') }}