CosmosLive 🌌

Everything in space. One place. Live.

CosmosLive is a high-performance, real-time aerospace data platform. It aggregates live telemetry from the ISS, Starlink constellation tracking, global launch countdowns, NASA imagery, and curated space news into a single, immersive interface.

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🏗️ Technical Stack

Layer	Technology
Frontend	Next.js 15+ (App Router), React 19
Styling	Vanilla CSS, Tailwind CSS 4, Framer Motion
State Management	TanStack Query v5, Zustand
Backend	Node.js (ESM), Express.js
Authentication	Clerk
Database	NeonDB (PostgreSQL) + Prisma ORM
Cache	Upstash Redis
Infrastructure	Vercel (Frontend + Backend)

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🚀 Getting Started

1. Pre-requisites

Ensure you have Node.js 20+ and npm installed.

2. Installation

Clone the repository and install dependencies for both frontend and backend:

npm run install:all

3. Environment Configuration

Create environment files in their respective directories:

Backend (backend/.env):

PORT=4000
DATABASE_URL="your_neon_db_url"
UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL="your_upstash_url"
UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN="your_upstash_token"
NASA_API_KEY="your_nasa_key"
CLERK_SECRET_KEY="your_clerk_secret"
FRONTEND_URL="http://localhost:3000"

Frontend (frontend/.env.local):

NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL="http://localhost:4000"
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY="your_clerk_pub_key"
CLERK_SECRET_KEY="your_clerk_secret"
NEXT_PUBLIC_CESIUM_ION_TOKEN="your_cesium_token"

4. Database Setup

npm run prisma:generate
npm run prisma:push

5. Running Locally

# Start both servers concurrently
npm run dev

# Or for GitHub Codespaces optimized environment
npm run dev:codespaces

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🛰️ API Architecture

The backend is built using Node ESM. All internal imports use .js extensions for compatibility with modern runtimes and Vercel serverless functions.

Endpoint	Description
GET /api/satellites/starlink	Live Starlink TLE/Position data
GET /api/launches/upcoming	Global launch schedule (Upcoming)
GET /api/iss/position	Real-time ISS coordinates (10s TTL)
GET /api/media/apod	NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
GET /api/news	Aggregated space articles
GET /api/internal/cron/:job	Internal cache warming triggers

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⚡ Caching & Performance

CosmosLive uses Upstash Redis (REST-based) for low-latency data persistence. This strategy is critical for:

• Rate Limit Avoidance: Proxies and caches external API responses (NASA, SpaceDevs) to stay within free tier limits.
• High-Frequency Telemetry: Stores ISS and Starlink positions with short TTLs for instant client-side retrieval.
• Warm Cache Jobs: Background cron jobs automatically refresh critical data paths every few minutes.

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🚢 Deployment

Vercel (Monorepo Setup)

This project is structured as a monorepo. Both frontend and backend are deployed as separate projects on Vercel.

1. Backend Deployment:

   • Framework Preset: Other
   • Root Directory: backend
   • Build Command: npx prisma generate
   • Output Directory: dist (or leave default for serverless functions)

2. Frontend Deployment:

   • Framework Preset: Next.js
   • Root Directory: frontend
   • Environment Variable: NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL should point to your deployed backend URL.

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🔑 API Keys Reference

Service	Source
NASA APIs	api.nasa.gov
N2YO Satellites	n2yo.com/api
Clerk Auth	clerk.com
Upstash Redis	upstash.com
NeonDB	neon.tech
Cesium Ion	cesium.com/ion

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CosmosLive — Architect: Deep | Optimized for LEO and Beyond.