ORBITIQ WITH AWS
Unrivaled clarity for space asset visibility
Satellite operators and the Space Domain Awareness (SDA) community require precision orbit modeling with wellcharacterized uncertainties to conduct accurate orbit determinations, conjunction assessments, and detect camouflage, concealment, deception and maneuvers (CCDM).
Orion’s OrbitIQ is a groundbreaking SDA tool, built on the scalable and resilient AWS cloud platform, that leverages a comprehensive, dynamic digital twin of the space environment. By modeling the intricate interactions between the thermosphere, ionosphere and satellites, OrbitIQ provides a holistic understanding of the current state, precise forecasting of future conditions and trajectories, and the ability to simulate and analyze complex operational scenarios with unparalleled accuracy.
FUTURE STATE ANALYSIS
OrbitIQ delivers unrivaled insight into the present and future state of on-orbit assets, empowering operators with an intuitive interface to visualize the space environment, navigate complex orbital data and gain deeper understanding through natural language queries powered by an integrated large language model (LLM). At its core, OrbitIQ leverages advanced 4DEnVar data assimilation, seamlessly integrating diverse observational data with sophisticated physical models of the space environment. Using Orion’s DRAGSTER neutral density measurements, it enhances orbit determinations and propagations with unmatched accuracy. DRAGSTER data outputs combine TIE-GCM and MSIS models to meet USSF operational requirements, delivering neutral density forecasts within 5% over a 72-hour period—significantly outperforming JB08 and HASDM.
PRECISE UNCERTAINTY QUANTIFICATION
The true power of Orion OrbitIQ lies in its superior uncertainty quantification. By precisely accounting for uncertainties in space weather and satellite behavior, OrbitIQ dramatically improves positional accuracy—reducing the margin of error from the 50 kilometers typical of JB08 and HASDM to 5 kilometers or less.
This enhanced precision unlocks a multitude of critical advantages:
significantly fewer false conjunction warnings
a substantial reduction in the risk of catastrophic satellite collisions
and the ability to accurately locate satellites for optimal scheduling of valuable antenna time
Additionally, OrbitIQ’s refined trajectory modeling—particularly in relation to atmospheric drag—enables operators to strategically adjust satellite configurations, such as solar panel positioning, to minimize drag and conserve station-keeping energy.
With Orion OrbitIQ, operators go beyond tracking satellites—they actively manage their future states with confidence and efficiency.
DRAGSTER API
DRAGSTER is an advanced assimilative ensemble model of Earth’s upper atmosphere, designed to enable highly accurate orbital drag predictions by leveraging observed orbital variations of existing satellites. It generates a global grid of density values and applies corrections to existing models, enhancing the calculation of satellite drag coefficients. All timestamps in the APIs follow the ISO 8601 date format.
Integrated into Orion OrbitIQ, DRAGSTER enhances orbit determinations and propagations, providing operators with precise atmospheric drag forecasts for improved space domain awareness and mission planning.
