Orbital Elements
The satellite's path around Earth, and the seed for every thermal and power result downstream. Enter the six classical elements directly or import a two line element set. Either way, all elements are specified at the mission epoch.
Mission Duration & Dates
The propagation window, and which day inside it the analysis reports in detail.
Ground Station
Station position and elevation masks used to predict passes. Positions are geodetic, on the WGS 84 ellipsoid.
Geometry & Surface Areas
The area of each face and what is mounted on it. Area weights the incident flux across the envelope; the surface decides how much of each face carries solar cells, which is what generates power and what reflects sunlight specularly. Absorptivity and emissivity stay yours to enter, in Optical Properties.
| Face | Area (A) | Surface | Cells (%) | Cell area (Aₛ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +Z | 0.008 | |||
| −Z | 0.008 | |||
| +X | 0.008 | |||
| −X | 0.008 | |||
| +Y | 0.008 | |||
| −Y | 0.008 | |||
| Σ TOTAL | 0.060 | 0.048 | ||
Optical Properties
Absorptivity (α) and emissivity (ε) per face. Together they set the radiative balance, and therefore the temperature.
| Face | Absorptivity (α) | Emissivity (ε) |
|---|---|---|
| +Z | ||
| −Z | ||
| +X | ||
| −X | ||
| +Y | ||
| −Y |
Attitude
How the spacecraft is oriented: a fixed attitude, a spin about a body axis or vector, or full rigid body dynamics with disturbance torques and active control.
Mass & Drag
Mass and drag properties, which set the ballistic coefficient and therefore the decay rate.
Thermal Inputs
Bulk thermal properties governing the lumped mass temperature response.
Summary Metrics
Key orbital, thermal and power figures, at the day of interest and across the mission.
Hot / Cold Case
The hottest and coldest thermal environments in the window. Size radiators against the hot case and heaters against the cold one.
Orbital History
Altitude, beta angle, eclipse, node and eccentricity across the mission. Drag is strongest at perigee, so an eccentric orbit circularises as it decays and eccentricity falls with altitude. Eclipse follows the beta angle directly: the higher the beta angle, the less of each orbit falls in shadow.
Lifetime Averages
Daily average heat load by source, and generated power, across the mission.
DOI: Flux by Face
Incident and absorbed flux on each face through every orbit of the day of interest. Drag the slider under the chart to zoom in on fewer hours. The day is taken as the orbits that begin on it, so the trace starts at the first orbit boundary after 00:00 UTC and runs a little past 24 hours, to the end of the last one.
DOI: Heat & Power
Heat load and power through every orbit of the day of interest. Each orbit carries its own altitude, node and eclipse geometry. The day is taken as the orbits that begin on it, so the trace starts at the first orbit boundary after 00:00 UTC and runs a little past 24 hours, to the end of the last one.
Satellite Ground Track: Day of Interest
The sub satellite point over the day of interest. Successive orbits shift west because Earth turns underneath the orbit plane. Press play to fly the day.
Ground Station Passes
Every pass above the station's elevation mask across the whole mission: acquisition, closest approach, loss of signal, geometry and direction. Times are local, using the UTC offset you set.
Contact Timeline
Every contact in the mission as a bar: local time of day along the bottom, date down the side, colour by peak elevation. The diagonal drift is the orbit plane precessing.
DOI: Avg. Temperature
Single node temperature through every orbit of the day of interest, started from the converged steady state. The day is taken as the orbits that begin on it, so the trace starts at the first orbit boundary after 00:00 UTC and runs a little past 24 hours, to the end of the last one.
DOI: Report - Orbital & Attitude
Keplerian elements and the attitude direction cosine matrix, sampled around one orbit at the day of interest. Built for pasting next to an external propagator's output.
DOI: Attitude Animation
The spacecraft turning as it goes round the day of interest based on the actual attitude propagation.
Attitude Dynamics
Rigid body attitude under gravity gradient, aerodynamic, residual magnetic and solar pressure torques, with magnetorquer or reaction wheel control during the actuation window (shaded green). Available only when the attitude mode is Attitude dynamics.