Risk Level Config
Risk levels are set per organization and apply to everyone in the organization: the risk levels themselves and their risk thresholds, which CDM a conjunction event is measured against, and how long it keeps its risk level once CDMs stop arriving.
For what risk levels mean on a conjunction event, see Risk Levels.
Risk levels are configured in Control Center, under Organization Settings. Editing requires the Admin or Owner role.
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Risk Level Settings
A single risk level is enough to classify conjunction events. Up to four can be configured, for organizations that separate severity more finely. Conjunction events that cross no risk threshold are assigned No level.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Label | Display name for the risk level, up to 20 characters |
| Color | Paired with the label wherever the risk level appears, chosen from a fixed palette |
| Pc | Crossed at or above this probability of collision |
| MD total | Crossed at or below this total miss distance |
| MD radial | Crossed at or below this radial separation |
| Match | Whether every risk metric must be crossed, or any single one is enough |
| Lead time before TCA | Hours to TCA, applied in addition to the risk metrics rather than as one of them |
A risk level needs at least one risk metric, and blank metrics are ignored. No level carries a label and color only.
Two rules apply across risk levels:
- Ordering. A more severe risk level must be harder to reach than a less severe one.
- Completeness. If a metric is used on any risk level, every risk level above it must use it too.
Changes are not retroactive. A conjunction event keeps its current risk level, name, and color until it next receives a CDM, at which point the new configuration applies.
Evaluation and Staleness
A conjunction event may hold several CDMs from different data source combinations. Evaluation mode decides which of them sets the risk level.
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Follow the event's best CDM | Tracks the Best CDM, the CDM Satcat treats as the most trustworthy account of the close approach. Default |
| Highest across all latest CDMs | Takes the highest result across the latest CDM from each data source combination |
A conjunction event that receives no new CDM within the stale event cutoff falls back to No level. Screening stops producing CDMs once a mitigating maneuver is executed or improved tracking clears the close approach, so an aging risk level tends to overstate current risk.
The recommended cutoff is 48 hours. Leave it unset to keep a risk level regardless of CDM age.
Recommended Configuration
Satcat provides a recommended set of risk levels based on NASA CARA best practices: three risk levels and a 48 hour stale cutoff.
| Risk level | Color | Risk thresholds |
|---|---|---|
| High | Red | Pc ≥ 1.0e-4 or MD total ≤ 1,000 m |
| Elevated | Yellow | Pc ≥ 1.0e-7 or MD total ≤ 5,000 m |
| Low | Green | MD total ≤ 10,000 m |
| No level | Gray | Applied when no risk thresholds are crossed, or the conjunction event is stale |
None of the recommended risk levels use lead time.
Loading the recommended set replaces the current configuration, including custom labels.
Migration from Existing Risk Thresholds
Existing risk thresholds were carried over as a single risk level at the highest position, labeled High. No risk threshold values changed.
Until more risk levels are configured, every conjunction event is either High or No level.