JPL Close Approach vs Minor Planet Center
Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.
JPL Close Approach vs Minor Planet Center: common questions
Which is more reliable, JPL Close Approach or Minor Planet Center?
On our scheduled checks, Minor Planet Center leads on measured uptime — JPL Close Approach at 98.0% versus Minor Planet Center at 99.02% over 90 days. These are our own probe results, not provider claims; the uptime bars above show the day-by-day record for both.
Which is faster, JPL Close Approach or Minor Planet Center?
Minor Planet Center has the lower median latency in our checks — JPL Close Approach responds in 676 ms versus Minor Planet Center at 217 ms (P50). Tail latency (P95) is in the table above; for most workloads the median is the number that shapes how the API feels.
Do JPL Close Approach and Minor Planet Center need an API key?
Neither needs a paid key — JPL Close Approach is callable with no signup, and Minor Planet Center is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.
Can I call JPL Close Approach and Minor Planet Center from the browser?
Neither sends browser-friendly CORS headers reliably, so call JPL Close Approach and Minor Planet Center from a server or proxy rather than client-side. The CORS and HTTPS rows above show exactly what we detected for each.
Are JPL Close Approach and Minor Planet Center free for commercial use?
JPL Close Approach has unclear commercial terms, and Minor Planet Center has unclear commercial terms. We track service terms and the data license as separate fields — see the Commercial use and Data license rows above, and confirm both before shipping either in a paid product.