Skip to main content

Orbit Determination

Satcat provides orbit determination services for spacecraft with GNSS telemetry, supporting mission phases from LEOP to on-orbit operations. Runs are executed nominally daily, or on demand, against operator-provided GNSS data and maneuver metadata, and produce predictive and post-fit OEMs with propagated covariance in CCSDS formats, used automatically in downstream risk assessment and coordination.

note

Orbit Determination-as-a-Service (ODaaS) requires a Satcat Operations Enterprise tier subscription.

Getting Started​

GNSS telemetry and maneuver metadata are submitted through the Satcat SDK, authenticated with an API key. Full documentation and procedures are provided during onboarding.

Submitting Data​

Each run needs GNSS telemetry in CSV or JSON, maneuver information in CCSDS Orbit Parameter Messages (OPM), and the RSO's mass, drag coefficient, drag area, and SRP area. See RSO Parameters.

GNSS Telemetry​

Telemetry files must include:

  • Timestamped satellite position in UTC, GPS, or TAI time scale
  • Optional velocity vectors and dilution of precision data (if available)

Maneuver Metadata​

If maneuvers occur within the OD window, upload OPM files with:

  • Latest spacecraft parameters
  • Execution time and delta-V vector
  • Optional maneuver uncertainty components

Sensor Data Fusion​

For organizations with sensor tasking enabled, Satcat can incorporate commercial tracking data from Kayhan-partnered sensor networks into orbit determination. These observations are fused with GNSS telemetry to improve OD fit quality and covariance realism, and a fused solution carries the same OEM and covariance format as any other run.

Fusion is most useful for:

  • Custody maintenance during GNSS outage or degraded orbit state
  • Covariance tightening near high-risk conjunctions
  • Acquisition of newly launched RSOs during LEOP
  • Refinement of uncorrelated or poorly tracked RSOs

To learn more, see Sensor Tasking.

Results​

Orbit determination results are downloadable from Asset Management and via the Satcat SDK. Solutions can also be uploaded to public catalog services such as Space-Track.

  • OEMs: predictive and definitive, with propagated realistic covariance derived from force modeling and residuals
  • TLEs: generated daily for ground station tracking support
  • QC Reports: quality control summary covering solution accuracy and residual diagnostics

Every solution carries quality metrics indicating whether the tracking data behind it was sufficient. To learn more, see OD Quality Ratings. For the formats above, see File Formats.