Celestrak vs Faa Aircraft Registry
A side-by-side look at the Celestrak and Faa Aircraft Registry MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Celestrak for aerospace & astrodynamics work as a local process; choose Faa Aircraft Registry for aerospace & astrodynamics as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Celestrak when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Aerospace & Astrodynamics domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
get_satellite, search_by_name, get_group.
Choose Faa Aircraft Registry when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Aerospace & Astrodynamics domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Aerospace & Astrodynamics | Aerospace & Astrodynamics |
| Quality signal | 59/100 · Good | 37/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | No auth required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 3 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Celestrak | View Faa Aircraft Registry |
Tools & capabilities
Celestrak tools 3
get_satelliteGet satellite orbital elements (TLE / GP data) for a single object by NORAD catalog ID. Returns orbital parameters: inclination, eccentricity, mean motion, RAAN, argument of perigee, epoch, and derived orbital period in minutes. norad_id 25544 = ISS, 20580 = Hubble. This is the orbital catalog, not live position tracking.search_by_nameSearch the satellite catalog by name substring and return matching orbital elements (TLE / GP data). e.g. "STARLINK", "NOAA", "GPS". Returns up to 50 matches with orbital parameters (inclination, eccentricity, period). Catalog/orbital data, not live tracking.get_groupList orbital elements (TLE / GP data) for an entire CelesTrak group — e.g. the Starlink, GPS, or weather satellite catalog. Groups: "stations", "starlink", "gps-ops", "weather", "science", "geo", "active". Returns up to 100 satellites with orbital parameters (inclination, eccentricity, period). Catalog/orbital data, not live tracking.
Faa Aircraft Registry tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Celestrak
{
"mcpServers": {
"celestrak": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-celestrak"
]
}
}
}
Faa Aircraft Registry
{
"mcpServers": {
"faa-aircraft-registry": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-faa-aircraft-registry"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Celestrak is categorized under Aerospace & Astrodynamics and uses a local stdio subprocess. Faa Aircraft Registry belongs to Aerospace & Astrodynamics and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Celestrak for aerospace & astrodynamics work and Faa Aircraft Registry for aerospace & astrodynamics.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Celestrak has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Faa Aircraft Registry is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add celestrak and faa-aircraft-registry as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Celestrak has a quality signal of 59/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Faa Aircraft Registry has 37/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.