Install gpredict with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, winget, zypper

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• gpredict

Project history

The NEWS file traces Gpredict back to early 2000s releases. Version 0.2.0 in August 2001 abandoned a client/server interface and incorporated tracking code from Predict directly into the program; later 0.x releases added custom TLE files, pass prediction details, maps, GConf-based configuration, user TLE storage, and multi-view modules.

The project matured through GTK-based desktop releases: version 0.6.0 in 2006 introduced configurable modules combining map, list, polar, and single-satellite views; version 1.0 beta releases in 2008 and 2009 added radio Doppler tuning and rotator control through Hamlib; version 2.0 in 2017 began the GTK+ 3 transition and added SatNOGS transponder database import and multiple TLE sources.

The README records that the development environment migrated from SourceForge to GitHub, and the GitHub repository contains a long-lived C/GTK application with source, documentation, translations, Windows build files, and bundled satellite data.

Adoption history

The input package-manager facts list Homebrew, Debian, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, Ubuntu, winget, and openSUSE packages. Homebrew packages Gpredict with desktop and ham-radio dependencies including GTK+ 3 and Hamlib.

Gpredict's adoption is tied to the ham-radio and satellite-observer communities rather than generic developer tooling. The official site links user support through the Libre Space Foundation community and GitHub Discussions, and its documentation points users to the manual and technical notes.

How it is used

Users configure ground stations and satellite modules, update TLE data, view satellite positions on maps or polar plots, and predict future passes. The README notes real-time, simulated real-time, and manual time control, plus detailed information in both live and non-live modes.

Radio workflows are a major differentiator: Gpredict can perform Doppler tuning through Hamlib rigctld and antenna-rotator control through Hamlib rotctld, making it useful at an operator station rather than only as a visualization tool.

Why package nerds care

Gpredict is a package-manager classic in the science/ham-radio corner: a desktop GUI with real operational dependencies, data files, translations, platform-specific build details, and a loyal technical audience.

For maintainers, it is interesting because it bridges scientific algorithms, GUI packaging, TLE/network data updates, and external hardware-control daemons. It also shows how a niche desktop application can survive across GTK transitions and repository migrations.

Timeline

• 2001: Version 0.2.0 incorporated tracking code from Predict and added upcoming-pass prediction.
• 2003: Version 0.4.0 stored TLE files in the user's home directory and supported runtime updates.
• 2006: Version 0.6.0 introduced the configurable multi-view module design.
• 2008: Version 1.0 beta 1 added radio Doppler tuning and antenna rotator control through Hamlib daemons.
• 2017: Version 2.0 introduced the GTK+ 3 port, SatNOGS transponder import, multiple TLE sources, and improved controllers.
• 2018: Version 2.2 completed the GTK+ 3 migration.
• 2026: Version 2.5 and 2.5.1 release notes record GTK/Cairo drawing work, macOS backend handling, Windows fixes, and faster network TLE updates.

Related projects

• Predict is historically related because Gpredict incorporated tracking code from it in the 0.2.0 era.
• Hamlib is operationally related through rigctld and rotctld radio and rotator control.
• SatNOGS is related through transponder data import.
• CelesTrak and NORAD TLE data are related data sources referenced by the project's tracking model and documentation.

Sources

• https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/gpredict
• https://github.com/csete/gpredict
• https://oz9aec.dk/gpredict/
• https://oz9aec.dk/gpredict/documents.php
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/csete/gpredict/master/NEWS