OSTK installation

Authors	Miles Timpe, Qu Gao, Julien Purificato, Severin Richner
Responsible	Qu Gao
Last Updated	10/12/2025, 12:48:54 PM
Last Author	Kai Berszin

Open Space Toolkit (OSTK)

OSTK is an open-source astrodynamics library maintained by Loft Orbital.

Installation Guide

Instructions for Windows (with Dev Container = more practical)

First be sure to have at least 12 gb available in the C (main) drive. OSTK and docker installation seem not to be movable to another drive.

1. Install Docker: https://www.docker.com/ and the dependencies they ask for. For example you might have to install an up-to-date microsoft .NET package.

2. Type in the folder of your choice:

   git clone https://github.com/aris-space/sage-flight-dynamics

   Instead of using the https address you may need to use the SSH address.

3. Run Docker Desktop (it should be visible in the hidden icons on the left of the Wi-Fi and volume setting icons)

4. Open the folder sage-flight-dynamics in VSCode.

5. Follow the Dev Container Quick Start from the sage-flight-dynamics/README.md to open the folder using the Dev Container. At that step everything you will need for OSTK is going to be downloaded so it might take a little while. If everything works you should now see vscode -> /console/ (meaning you're in the Docker instance).

6. Type

cd flight_dynamics/orbit_propagation/ostk

and

python orbit_and_accesses_example.py

After running the command you should be able to find in /console the csv files the python script has created.

Bravo! You now have OSTK for Dev Container ready to use!

You can use this Dev Container to work using OSTK and it will automatically sync the changes between the container and the OS.

Instructions for Windows (without Dev Container)

If the preceding tutorial doesn't work for you, you can choose to install OSTK without the Dev Container. This will be less practical because you will have to exit the vscode -> /console/ and restart it every time you want to update a file but it's fast enough too and it's working well.

First be sure to have at least 12 gb available in the C (main) drive. OSTK and docker installation seem not to be movable to another drive.

1. Install Docker: https://www.docker.com/ and the dependencies they ask for. For example you might have to install an up-to-date microsoft .NET package.
2. Type in the folder of your choice:

   git clone https://github.com/aris-space/sage-flight-dynamics
   Instead of using the https address you may need to use the SSH address.
3. Edit the start.sh file (for example with Visual Studio Code) by adding "winpty" in the last line which then should be:

   winpty docker run -it -p 8050:8050 --rm sage-mops;
4. Run Docker Desktop (it should be visible in the hidden icons on the left of the Wi-Fi and volume setting icons)
5. Open git bash in the folder of sage-flight-dynamics (location of the docker file and a file named start.sh)
6. run

sh start.sh

At that step everything you will need for OSTK is going to be downloaded so it might take a little while. If everything works you should now see vscode -> /console/ (meaning you're in the Docker instance)

7. Type

cd flight_dynamics/orbit_propagation/ostk

and

python orbit_and_accesses_example.py

After running the command you should be able to find in /console the csv files the python script has created

8. You can now type exit and in the hidden icon right click on the docker icon and stop docker

Bravo! You now have OSTK ready to use!

Everytime you will want to use docker with a file (e.g a code) you updated locally on your pc you will have to exit (just typing exit) docker and type the command (again in the sage-flight-dynamics folder)

sh start.sh

It should only build the updated file.

If you want to download on your pc a file created by Docker please read the readme and in another git bash window (i.e not in vscode -> /console/) type

docker ps

to find your container id (e.g 90903d83887a) and then type

docker cp <containerId>:/file/path/within/container /host/path/target

(e.g docker cp 90903d83887a:/console/yprs_during_access_groundpointing.csv /d/documented)

Instructions for Apple Silicon Macbooks

Unfortunately, installing OSTK is not the simplest of processes on an Apple Silicon Macbook.

1. Install Docker: https://www.docker.com/. Thankfully Docker is compatible with Apple Silicon, and the installation process should be clear to follow. Once you have installed the Docker application in the /Applications folder, open the application and follow the instructions for creating a personal account.
2. From here on the installation process is the same as with Windows, thus follow steps 4. - 6. from above.

[!NOTE] IGNORE the instructions on the "getting started page" of https://github.com/open-space-collective/open-space-toolkit.

If you type

git clone https://github.com/open-space-collective/open-space-toolkit.git && cd open-space-toolkit

and then

make run-jupyter

into terminal, you get the following error message:

Target platform is linux/amd64
docker run \
		--publish=8888:8888 \
		--volume="/Users/qugao/open-space-toolkit/open-space-toolkit/notebooks:/notebooks" \
		--workdir=/notebooks \
		openspacecollective/open-space-toolkit-astrodynamics-jupyter:latest
Unable to find image 'openspacecollective/open-space-toolkit-astrodynamics-jupyter:latest' locally
docker: Error response from daemon: no matching manifest for linux/arm64/v8 in the manifest list entries: no match for platform in manifest: not found

Run 'docker run --help' for more information
make: *** [run-jupyter] Error 125

It seems that the OSTK toolkit doesn't support Apple Silicon.

Changelog

Date	Revision	Change
2025/03/27	01	Initial commit.
2025/04/15	02	Installing OSTK on Apple Silicon
2025/04/17	03	Installing OSTK on Windows without Dev Container
2025/04/19	04	Adding Instructions for Dev Container
2025/07/11	05	Merging both Windows Tutorials