Not an expert on this so will keep it short:

We had a student at VT look into this for tracking 'Deep Space' objects. He figured out how to access the Horizons website via one of their API's (not sure which) and then figured out how to 'shoehorn' the data into python scripts that used the 'pyephem' package.

pyephem has been deprecated and replaced by 'SkyField' and is wayyy more powerful and has support for things like an SGP4 propagator for satellite tracking, and support for tracking astronomical objects (our moon/sun for EME'rs on the list and for future Amateur Radio on the Lunar Gateway, Jupiter+moons, other radio astronomy sources, etc....). I think even directly supports this kind of thing through a 'jplephem' package (where it gets the ephemeride data for planets, moons, etc...). So might be as easy as download from Horizons (if not directly accessible in skyfield), load into skyfield.....yadda yadda yadda (seinfeld reference)......get pointing/doppler data for deep space objects.

Bottom line, for those interested in custom software, should look into 'skyfield' to maybe work with this type of data in python (along with TLE data) and there's probably a way to 'export' the ephemerides into TLE format so that the results can be used to 'spoof' existing tracking programs (technically, SGP4+TLEs are only valid for 'near earth' tracking, not even the right algorithm for Lunar/Solar tracking, that's why I say 'spoof').

https://rhodesmill.org/skyfield/

-Zach, KJ4QLP

Research Associate Aerospace Systems Lab Ted & Karyn Hume Center for National Security & Technology Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University Work Phone: 540-231-4174 Cell Phone: 540-808-6305

On 7/26/2019 11:53 AM, Reid Crowe via AMSAT-BB wrote:

Looks like someone is already on it: https://twitter.com/coastal8049/status/1154760899522994177

73,

Reid N0RC

On Fri, Jul 26, 2019 at 10:43 AM Reid Crowe reid.crowe@gmail.com wrote:

...

Is there a way to use (or convert) JPL Horizons Ephemerides data with tracking programs like SatPC32 that use Two Line Elements?

73,

Reid N0RC

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