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Space and satellite systems

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Technologies
The technologies behind space and satellite systems.

Every technology this platform builds with, layer by layer, from the open taxonomy. Marked in red: what is moving now, each traced to its source.

Plan with usArchitecture

Areas · 6 Technologies · 196 Industries · 10

01The layered map

Layer by layer, from the open taxonomy.

Each domain this platform draws on, with its layers and the technologies in each. Open a layer for what each technology does and the standard behind it.

Satellite and space systems

The space segment end to end: orbits and constellations, spacecraft buses, communications and Earth observation payloads, inter-satellite links, tracking and command, space safety, launch, and the licensing and filings that let a system operate over a site.

The full directory →

Orbits and constellations

Technologies · 8 · Frontier · 2

  • LEO broadband constellations
  • MEO constellations
  • GEO high-throughput satellites
  • HEO (Molniya and Tundra-type) orbits
  • Sun-synchronous and polar orbits for EO
  • Constellation design and coverage analysis
  • HAPS and HIBS stratospheric platforms
  • Very low Earth orbit (VLEO)

Spacecraft buses and platforms

Technologies · 9 · Frontier · 1

  • Smallsat and CubeSat platforms
  • Electrical power subsystems
  • Attitude and orbit control
  • Propulsion (chemical, electric, low-toxicity)
  • On-board data handling and avionics buses
  • Thermal control and structures
  • Radiation effects and EEE parts
  • Environmental verification
  • Flight software and software-defined satellites

Communications payloads, NTN and direct-to-device

Technologies · 9 · Frontier · 3

  • Transparent (bent-pipe) payloads
  • Regenerative payloads and on-board processing
  • Multibeam and digitally beamformed payloads
  • 5G NR over satellite (NR-NTN)
  • IoT over satellite (NB-IoT and LTE-M NTN)
  • Direct-to-device in mobile bands
  • Mobile satellite services in L and S band
  • Store-and-forward satellite IoT
  • Satellite broadcast and multicast

Inter-satellite and space-to-ground links

Technologies · 7 · Frontier · 4

  • RF inter-satellite links
  • Optical inter-satellite links
  • Optical space-to-ground links
  • Pointing, acquisition and tracking
  • Space networking and delay-tolerant routing
  • GEO data relay for LEO missions
  • Space-based quantum key distribution

Earth observation payload classes

Technologies · 10 · Frontier · 1

  • Multispectral optical imagers
  • Hyperspectral imagers
  • Synthetic aperture radar (X, C, L band)
  • Thermal infrared and fire detection
  • Atmospheric and greenhouse gas sounders
  • GNSS radio occultation and reflectometry
  • Space-based AIS and ADS-B reception
  • RF spectrum sensing from orbit
  • Lidar and radar altimetry
  • On-board processing and AI for EO

Tracking, telemetry and command and space safety

Technologies · 9 · Frontier · 1

  • TT&C radio links
  • Telemetry and telecommand protocols
  • Ranging and orbit determination
  • Space link security
  • Conjunction assessment and collision avoidance
  • Space situational awareness sensing
  • Space weather monitoring
  • Debris mitigation and end-of-life disposal
  • Rendezvous, proximity operations and on-orbit servicing

Launch, licensing and regulation

Technologies · 8

  • Launch and rideshare integration
  • ITU filings: advance publication, coordination, notification
  • NGSO–GSO sharing and EPFD
  • Landing rights and market access
  • Remote sensing licensing
  • International space law and registration
  • Export controls for space items
  • Space sustainability frameworks

Frontier and research

Technologies · 6 · Frontier · 6

  • 6G integrated terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks
  • Orbital edge computing
  • Lunar and cislunar communications and navigation
  • Autonomous constellation operations
  • Space-based solar power
  • In-space assembly and manufacturing

Ground segment

Everything on the ground that talks to spacecraft: gateways and teleports, user terminals, modems and software-defined radio, shared antenna networks, CCSDS protocol stacks, mission control, data processing and the spectrum coordination behind each earth station.

The full directory →

Gateways and teleports

Technologies · 8 · Frontier · 1

  • NGSO gateway sites
  • GEO teleports and hub earth stations
  • RF chain: LNA, LNB, BUC and high-power amplifiers
  • Site diversity and rain-fade mitigation
  • Adaptive coding and modulation
  • Teleport facilities, power and lightning protection
  • Gateway-to-core interconnection
  • Optical ground stations

User terminals

Technologies · 9 · Frontier · 1

  • Electronically steered flat-panel terminals
  • Parabolic VSAT terminals
  • Maritime terminals
  • Aeronautical terminals
  • Land-mobile and communications-on-the-move
  • IoT and low-power satellite terminals
  • Multi-orbit and hybrid terrestrial terminals
  • Terminal installation and electrical safety
  • Handheld and smartphone satellite access

Baseband, modems and software-defined radio

Technologies · 8 · Frontier · 1

  • DVB-S2 and DVB-S2X forward links
  • DVB-RCS2 return links
  • CCSDS modulation and channel coding
  • Software-defined radio platforms
  • Digital IF and RF-over-IP
  • Virtualised and cloud-native modems
  • Carrier identification
  • NTN gNB and core functions at gateways

Ground-station-as-a-service and antenna networks

Technologies · 7

  • Shared antenna networks
  • Space link extension services
  • Pass scheduling and resource management
  • High-latitude and polar ground sites
  • Ground segment cybersecurity
  • Federated and hybrid ground networks
  • Data delivery to cloud and edge

CCSDS protocol stacks

Technologies · 9

  • Synchronisation and channel coding
  • Space data link protocols
  • Space packets and encapsulation
  • File delivery
  • Delay and disruption tolerant networking
  • Space data link security
  • Telemetry and command databases
  • Navigation data messages
  • Data compression

Mission control and flight dynamics

Technologies · 7 · Frontier · 1

  • Mission control systems
  • Flight dynamics
  • Constellation operations automation
  • Payload planning and tasking
  • Anomaly detection and spacecraft health analytics
  • Operations security and access control
  • Operational simulators and digital twins

Data downlink, processing and distribution

Technologies · 8

  • Level-0 to Level-2 processing chains
  • Analysis-ready data production
  • Catalogues and discovery
  • Cloud-native geospatial formats
  • Calibration and validation
  • Low-latency tasking-to-delivery pipelines
  • Data licensing and access control
  • Processing at the antenna edge

Earth station spectrum coordination and interference

Technologies · 7 · Frontier · 1

  • Earth station licensing and coordination
  • NGSO–GSO interference analysis
  • Propagation modelling
  • Interference detection and geolocation
  • Cross-border coordination
  • Protection of radio astronomy and science services
  • Satellite and terrestrial spectrum sharing

Remote sensing and Earth observation

Every platform, sensor, processing level and ground-segment step that turns remote measurements of the Earth into calibrated, analysis-ready evidence for a site, a region or a network.

The full directory →

Platforms and orbits

Technologies · 8 · Frontier · 1

  • Geostationary imagers and sounders
  • Low Earth orbit sun-synchronous missions
  • Small satellite constellations
  • High-altitude platform stations (HAPS)
  • Crewed survey aircraft
  • Drones and remotely piloted aircraft
  • Tethered aerostats and balloon soundings
  • Ground-based remote sensing

Optical, spectral and thermal sensors

Technologies · 8 · Frontier · 1

  • Panchromatic and very high resolution optical
  • Multispectral imagers
  • Hyperspectral imaging spectrometers
  • Thermal infrared imagers
  • Stereo, tri-stereo and video capture
  • Ocean colour and aquatic reflectance
  • Low-light and night-time imaging
  • Solar-induced fluorescence

Radar, lidar and microwave sensors

Technologies · 10 · Frontier · 1

  • Synthetic aperture radar by band (P, L, S, C, X, Ku, Ka)
  • Interferometric SAR (InSAR)
  • Polarimetric SAR (PolSAR)
  • Ocean radar backscatter and scatterometry
  • Radar altimetry
  • Lidar (airborne, drone and spaceborne)
  • Passive microwave radiometry
  • GNSS radio occultation
  • GNSS reflectometry
  • Atmospheric sounders and composition instruments

Processing levels and analysis-ready data

Technologies · 9

  • Level 0: raw instrument data
  • Level 1: calibrated and geolocated
  • Level 2: geophysical variables
  • Levels 3 and 4: gridded, composited and modelled
  • CEOS analysis-ready data
  • Atmospheric, terrain and radiometric terrain correction
  • Cloud, shadow and quality masking
  • Onboard and ground compression
  • Product metadata and lineage

Calibration and validation

Technologies · 8

  • Pre-flight and onboard calibration
  • Vicarious calibration and test sites
  • Inter-calibration of satellite instruments
  • Fiducial reference measurements
  • SAR calibration targets
  • Geometric accuracy and ground control
  • Product validation stages
  • In situ match-up networks

Tasking, ground segment and access

Technologies · 9 · Frontier · 1

  • Tasking, mission planning and revisit analysis
  • Orbit and conjunction data
  • Ground stations and downlink
  • Space link extension and station networking
  • Direct broadcast and edge processing
  • Optical ground stations
  • Ground segment security
  • Licensing and remote sensing law
  • Disaster activation and rapid mapping

Data cubes, analysis and archives

Technologies · 7

  • EO data cubes
  • Imagery catalogues
  • Time-series analysis
  • Essential climate, ocean and biodiversity variables
  • Fusion with in situ data and models
  • Long-term archive and preservation
  • Commercial and open data licensing

Frontier and research

Technologies · 8 · Frontier · 8

  • Onboard AI and in-orbit processing
  • Optical inter-satellite links and data relay
  • High-revisit SAR and high-resolution thermal constellations
  • Imaging spectroscopy constellations
  • Greenhouse gas point-source detection
  • EO foundation models and embeddings
  • Quantum and cold-atom gravimetry
  • Digital twins of the Earth

02Across the network

The whole spectrum, on the main site.

Main site

Every technology domain

All domains, layers and items, with their sources.Open →
Main site

The spectrum

The technologies of observation on one map.Open →
Observatory Protocol

Standards

The open standards the protocol is composed from.Open →

03On this site

Where to go next.

Space and satellite systems

Areas

Every area, with its systems and standards.Open →
Space and satellite systems

Architecture

Layers, functions and evidence.Open →
Space and satellite systems

Industries

The industry sites built on this platform.Open →
Space and satellite systems

Resources

Explainer, stories, specification and forms.Open →

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The technologies behind space and satellite systems.

Bring us the site.

We bring the survey, the design and the crew. The form names who receives your details.