Orbit 350

[Amice Golden]

IGS analysis centers provide satellite orbit solutions to the CDDIS using pre-determined schedules, e.g., sub-daily, daily, or weekly, depending upon the data product. The IGS analysis center coordinator retrieves these solutions and produces a combined product, which is then in turn archived at the CDDIS. These combination solutions are considered the official IGS products.

IGS orbit combination solutions are available in three forms: ultra-rapid, rapid, and final. The ultra-rapid product, useful for real-time and near real-time applications, is archived at regular intervals four times per day; the ultra-rapid solution includes both observed and predicted satellite orbits. The rapid orbit combination is a daily solution available approximately 17 hours after the end of the previous UTC day. The final, and most consistent and highest quality IGS solutions, consists of daily orbit files, generated on a weekly basis approximately 13 days after the end of the solution week. All orbit solution files utilize the Extended Standard Product- 3 (SP3c) format.

All operational IGS GNSS products (i.e., orbits, station positions, EOP, clock solutions) are available in subdirectories by GPS week. Solution summary files are provided by the analysis centers in which they describe their analysis methods and strategies and list processing statistics. Descriptions of AC analysis procedures and models used are available from the IGS website.

At the end of 2022, the IGS made the decision to change the name format going forward of many of its products archived at the CDDIS. A table is available on the IGS website which compares the old and new name formats. The table can be found on the following page:

NASA supports a robust commercial space economy that advances American industry and promotes technological discovery through in-space work and research. American companies will continue to play an essential role in establishing a sustainable presence in space.

Low Earth orbit (LEO) encompasses Earth-centered orbits with an altitude of 1,200 miles (2,000 km) or less. This orbit is considered near enough to Earth for convenient transportation, communication, observation, and resupply. It also is the area where the International Space Station currently orbits and where many proposed future platforms will be located.

NASA has partnered with American private industry throughout its history of spaceflight, including through public-private for commercial resupply missions, commercial crew activities, and the research and development from the ISS National Lab aboard the International Space Station. American companies will continue to play an essential role in establishing a sustainable presence in space.

To support the development of future commercial destinations and services, NASA is increasing access to the resources and infrastructure of the International Space Station to assist the commercial sector in developing and deploying new capabilities in LEO. Both U.S. Congress and the National Space Council have stated that it is in the national and economic security interests of the United States to encourage the development of a healthy and robust commercial sector in LEO.

NASA released a commercial and marketing pricing policy reflecting initial rates to gauge the depth of the commercial market in LEO. These rates offer interested companies a way to plan their business models as NASA moves towards a commercial mode of operation. NASA expects to revisit the pricing policy semi-annually and will adjust it as market forces indicate.

Yes, if the Bayh-Dole Act applies, as these rights are statutorily granted pursuant to this act (35 U.S.C. 203). However, NASA knows of no instances, within the over 38-year-old history of the Bayh-Dole Act, when these march-in rights were ever exercised by any federal agency.

Activities performed on the space station will be dependent on the level of training and the agreements in place. A private astronaut assigned to a mission on the space station will fulfill duties within the approved commercial and marketing activities outlined in the NASA Interim Directive, including certain promotional capabilities meeting the requirements of the government and routine operations of the space station.

Private astronauts will have to meet FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) regulatory requirements, which include liability waivers, insurance, and indemnification during launch and re-entry activities.

Under the law, a government agency is not allowed to accept voluntary services from an individual or entity. That means that a private astronaut who is on the space station for the purpose of commercial and marketing activities cannot perform activities for the direct benefit of NASA. If a private astronaut meets training and other requirements, that person can provide direct support to NASA under an alternate arrangement.

Depending upon the goals and requirements proposed for a particular mission, and the entity providing resources or services, private astronaut mission providers may operate on the space station pursuant to a Federal Acquisition Regulation based contract, a space act agreement, and/or other arrangement as deemed appropriate under the circumstances.

NASA anticipates supporting up to two short-duration missions with private astronauts per year, dependent on visiting spacecraft traffic planning constraints and the health and performance of space station systems. U.S. companies responding to the fourth focus area of the NASA Research Announcement will include the number of crew members for the mission and its duration as part of their proposal. NASA will evaluate mission feasibility at the time of proposal.

Regardless of background, whether for professional or personal reasons, anyone interested in becoming a private astronaut must arrange through a U.S. entity that has an agreement with NASA to conduct a private astronaut mission.

Interested parties can seek information directly with entities in a variety of commercial space categories. Commercial activities may be available directly by providers of commercial destinations and commercial transportation.

NASA has partnered, through unfunded Space Act Agreements, with seven U.S. companies to meet future commercial and government needs, ultimately benefitting human spaceflight and the U.S. commercial low Earth orbit economy. The CCSC2 unfunded agreements were announced in the summer 2023 with a five-year term, and there are no current plans for additional rounds.

Companies interested in a commercial use of space station should submit a proposal/white paper as described in NASA Research Announcement (NRA) NNJ13ZBG001N Focus Area 3. For information, reference the NSPIRES solicitations summary.

Congress designated the International Space Station as a U.S. National Laboratory in 2005, enabling space research and development access to a broad range of commercial, academic, and government users. The ISS National Laboratory is responsible for managing all non-NASA research, and all investigations require the capacity to utilize microgravity for the benefit of humanity. Through the ISS National Lab, this unique space-based research platform is available to U.S. researchers from small companies, research institutions, Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and others, all interested in utilizing the space environment to solve complex problems on Earth.

NASA supports In Space Production Applications awards to help the selected companies raise the technological readiness level of their products and move them to market, propelling U.S. industry toward the development of a sustainable, scalable, and profitable demand for services and products in LEO.

These commercialization awards provide opportunities for NASA to reduce its future costs in LEO, enabling deep-space missions farther from Earth, including the Moon and Mars. NASA is leading commercial LEO development efforts to stimulate non-NASA demand for commercially owned and operated orbital destinations from which NASA can purchase services as one of many customers.

In celestial mechanics, an orbit (also known as orbital revolution) is the curved trajectory of an object[1] such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, or of a natural satellite around a planet, or of an artificial satellite around an object or position in space such as a planet, moon, asteroid, or Lagrange point. Normally, orbit refers to a regularly repeating trajectory, although it may also refer to a non-repeating trajectory. To a close approximation, planets and satellites follow elliptic orbits, with the center of mass being orbited at a focal point of the ellipse,[2] as described by Kepler's laws of planetary motion.

For most situations, orbital motion is adequately approximated by Newtonian mechanics, which explains gravity as a force obeying an inverse-square law.[3] However, Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, which accounts for gravity as due to curvature of spacetime, with orbits following geodesics, provides a more accurate calculation and understanding of the exact mechanics of orbital motion.

Historically, the apparent motions of the planets were described by European and Arabic philosophers using the idea of celestial spheres. This model posited the existence of perfect moving spheres or rings to which the stars and planets were attached. It assumed the heavens were fixed apart from the motion of the spheres and was developed without any understanding of gravity. After the planets' motions were more accurately measured, theoretical mechanisms such as deferent and epicycles were added. Although the model was capable of reasonably accurately predicting the planets' positions in the sky, more and more epicycles were required as the measurements became more accurate, hence the model became increasingly unwieldy. Originally geocentric, it was modified by Copernicus to place the Sun at the centre to help simplify the model. The model was further challenged during the 16th century, as comets were observed traversing the spheres.[4][5]

c80f0f1006