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Data Standards

Satcat services use many standards and conventions in line with the 18/19 SDS Spaceflight Safety and NASA Spacecraft CA and COLA Best Practices handbooks. The specifics of the standards for file uploads, data entry, and reference frames has been collected here for reference. Additional resources can be found in the Key Concepts section.

Learn more about Key Concepts


Data Privacy

All operator-supplied data in Satcat is stored and handled according to strict privacy and access controls. Access to uploaded files, telemetry, ephemeris, and maneuver plans is restricted to the owner/operator group unless explicitly shared. Internal analytics use only anonymized or aggregated datasets, and no sensitive operational data is redistributed without operator consent.

View Data Privacy Documentation


Risk Metrics

Satcat computes several standardized risk metrics for each conjunction and maneuver tradespace. These metrics are used consistently across COLA planning, CDM generation, and conjunction alerting.

  • Probability of Collision (Pc)
  • Miss Distance
  • Mahalanobis Distance
  • and more

View Risk Metrics Documentation


Analytics Products

Satcat services use a wide collection of interactive plots, charts, and tables to provide operators with the tools to make critical Go / No Go decisions. Additional information on how to utilize each interactive visualization has been compiled in Analytic Products for reference.

View Analytics Products Documentation


Reference Frames

Satcat services accept all common reference frames used in spaceflight dynamics. A brief description of each frame and a frame transformation diagram of the order of frame rotations is provided in the Reference Frame Documentation. All frame transformations have been developed and validated using the International Earth Rotation Service (IERS) Conventions 2010.

View Reference Frame Documentation


Supported File Formats

A variety of file formats are available in order to share information between operators, data providers, and analytics providers such as Kayhan Space. These formats allow accurate transmission of RSO trajectories and covariance, planned avoidance maneuvers, operational CDM reports, and conjunction data messages.

View File Format Documentation