A
- Alternate Name
- An alternate name or designation of a space object that may differ from the name included in the source database.
- Apogee
- The point in a space object’s orbit at which it is farthest from the Earth; the distance between this furthest point and the Earth’s center.
- Apogee Altitude
- A space object’s maximum orbital altitude; the distance between its apogee and the Earth’s surface.
- Argument of Perigee
- The angular position of a space object’s perigee; a description of an orbital trajectory’s orientation within its orbital plane.
C
- Contractor
- The organization that was primarily contracted to develop a satellite.
- Country of Jurisdiction
-
The country that has administrative control and jurisdiction over a space object.
Further Reading
- National Jurisdiction for Regulating Space Activities of Governmental and Non-governmental Entities, United Nations/Thailand Workshop on Space Law.
- Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.
- Country of Launch Site
-
The country that possesses the geographic territory from which a space object was launched into orbit.
Further Reading
- What is a “Launching State”, European Space Agency.
D
- Drift Rate
-
The rate at which an object in geosynchronous Earth orbit moves east or west as measured in geodetic longitude space.
Further Reading
- Basics of the Geostationary Orbit, Celestrak.
- How to Drift a Satellite: What Happens when NOAA GOES-16 is Moved into Operational Position, National Environmental Satellite and Data Information Service.
E
- Earth Radius
-
The average distance between the center of the Earth and its surface.
Further Reading
- Strange but True: Earth Is Not Round, Scientific American
- Eccentricity
-
An orbit’s deviation from a perfect circle; values near zero refer to nearly circular orbits, whereas those closer to one are more elongated.
Further Reading
- Orbital Eccentricity, Wikipedia.
I
- Inclination
-
The angle of a satellite’s orbital plane relative to the Earth’s equatorial plane.
Further Reading
- Orbital Inclination, Wikipedia.
- International Designator (COSPAR)
-
A unique identifier assigned to artificial objects launched into space.
Further Reading
- International Designator, Wikipedia
- International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
-
A specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for protecting space systems against harmful interference in the radio-frequency spectrum.
Further Reading
- About International Telecommunications Union (ITU), International Telecommunications Union.
- ITU Catalog Date
-
The date at which space network licenses from the ITU were cataloged; some licenses may have expired or been added since this date.
Further Reading
- Space Network List (SNL), International Telecommunications Union.
- ITU Filing Longitude
- The orbital position allocated to geostationary satellites as part of a license filed with the International Telecommunications Union.
- ITU Frequency Band
-
The radio-frequency band(s) allocated to geostationary satellites as part of a license filed with the International Telecommunications Union.
Further Reading
L
- Launch date
- The calendar date on which a space object was launched into space.
- Launch Site
-
The spaceport or other platform from which an object was launched into space.
Further Reading
- Launch Site Codes, Space Track.
- Spaceports of the World, Center for Strategic and International Studies.
- Launch Vehicle
-
The name of the launch vehicle that placed an object into orbit.
Further Reading
- Launch Vehicle, Wikipedia.
- Lifetime
- The estimated or planned operational lifetime of a space object.
- Longitude
- The location of a geostationary satellite along the Earth’s Equator.
M
- Mean Motion
- The average angular velocity of a space object in orbit.
N
- NORAD ID (Satellite Catalog Number)
- An identification number assigned sequentially to space objects by the U.S. Space Command in the order in which they were observed.
O
- Operator
- The entity that operates or controls a space object.
- Orbital Period
- The time it takes a space object to complete one full orbit.
- Mean Orbital Speed
- The average speed or velocity of a space object as it moves along its orbital trajectory.
P
- Perigee
- The point in a space object’s orbit at which it is closest to the Earth; the distance between this closest point and the Earth’s center.
- Perigee Altitude
- A space object’s minimum orbital altitude; the distance between its perigee and the Earth’s surface.
- Purpose
- The discipline in which the satellite is used in broad categories.
R
- Right Ascension of the Ascending Node (RAAN)
- An angular orbital parameter that specifies the orientation of a space object’s orbital plane relative to the First Point of Aries.
S
- Semi-major Axis
- One half of the a space object’s major orbital axis; a common measurement an orbit’s general size.
T
- Type
- The type of space object (active payload, inactive payload, rocket body, debris, or uncategorized)