SATCAT Module

Satellite Catalog module for Space Domain Awareness within Orion.

Orbital catalog intelligence

6+ data sources

NORAD identity standard

Live catalog updates

A unified satellite catalog that consolidates heterogeneous orbital data sources, standardizes identifiers, and supports operational awareness across the space object population.

Explore capabilities References

Why SATCAT matters

The SATCAT module within ORION is designed to transform fragmented orbital information into a consistent, queryable, and auditable catalog. By combining public and operational sources, the system reduces the manual burden of catalog maintenance while improving traceability, onboarding, and analysis for space-domain awareness workflows.

The module normalizes object metadata, merges repeated entries, and provides a reliable foundation for downstream propagation, risk assessment, and monitoring tasks.

Core capabilities

Multi-source ingestion

Collects data from Space-Track, CelesTrak, UCS, SatNOGS, DISCOSweb, nanosatellite catalogs, and related repositories.

Normalization

Aligns heterogeneous schemas under shared identifiers and consistent metadata structures.

Deduplication

Uses NORAD IDs and object metadata to merge duplicates and reduce catalog noise.

Historical tracking

Stores evolution over time so analysts can compare orbital states and entity changes across periods.

API-driven access

Exposes catalog data through query interfaces that support integration into analysis pipelines and applications.

Operational readiness

Supports propagation, monitoring, and decision-support workflows required in SDA operations.

Architecture overview

The SATCAT module follows a layered architecture that separates ingestion, transformation, and persistence responsibilities:

Provider layer

External data collection through APIs, shared databases, and public orbital repositories.

Orchestration layer

Scheduling, ETL workflows, metadata harmonization, and fusion logic for object consolidation.

Persistence layer

Structured storage with PostgreSQL-backed tables for catalog integrity and historical records.

Operational flow

Collect

Acquire orbital records from open and operational data sources.

Normalize

Standardize fields and align object attributes across source-specific schemas.

Merge

Deduplicate and reconcile entries using identifiers such as NORAD ID.

Analyze

Use the resulting catalog for attribute review, propagation, and monitoring workflows.

References

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