The orbital traffic software company Kayhan Space has released a new, free online tool designed to help researchers and developers visualize large satellite catalogs. The software library, named sgp4.gl, was made public on September 30 and aims to solve common performance issues that slow down existing visualization platforms.
Key Takeaways
- Kayhan Space released sgp4.gl, a free, open-source software library for visualizing orbital objects.
- The tool uses a computer's graphics processing unit (GPU) to render thousands of satellites and debris objects in real-time without sluggishness.
- It is based on the widely used and open-source SGP4 mathematical model for calculating orbits.
- The software is offered as a building block for developers to integrate into their own applications, rather than a hosted service.
Addressing Performance in Orbital Tracking
As the number of satellites and debris in Earth's orbit continues to grow, the need for efficient visualization tools has become more critical. Many existing platforms struggle to render massive catalogs of orbital objects, leading to slow and unresponsive applications.
According to Hyun Seo, Kayhan Space's Chief Product Officer, developers often use low-performance propagators to draw orbits in 3D environments. This can cause significant issues for users.
"This leads to sluggish animations, unresponsive applications and even overheating or battery drain on mobile devices," said Seo.
To overcome these challenges, Kayhan Space developed sgp4.gl. The tool leverages a computer's graphics processing unit (GPU) to handle the complex calculations required to display thousands of objects simultaneously. This approach results in smoother performance and a more responsive user experience, which is essential for managing the increasingly congested space environment.
What is SGP4?
The Simplified General Perturbations 4 (SGP4) is a mathematical model used to calculate the orbital state of an object in Earth's orbit. It is the standard model used by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the U.S. Space Force for generating two-line element sets (TLEs) that describe satellite orbits. Because the model itself is open-source, it provides a common foundation for space situational awareness tools.
An Open-Source Contribution to the Space Community
Kayhan Space is offering sgp4.gl as a free, open-source library that developers can integrate directly into their own software. This differs from a hosted service, providing greater flexibility for engineers, researchers, and students who need to build custom visualization or analysis tools.
The decision to release the software openly was a straightforward one for the company. Seo explained that since the tool is based on the SGP4 model, which is already in the public domain, it made sense to contribute their high-performance implementation back to the community.
"sgp4.gl is about giving back to the community and improving the baseline experience for developers," he added.
To help developers get started, Kayhan has posted an open-source demonstration showing how sgp4.gl can be integrated with popular 3D visualization tools. The demo code is available on the software repository GitHub, and a live version can be accessed online.
Part of a Broader Strategy
The release of sgp4.gl is connected to Kayhan Space's larger commercial platform, Satcat. Satcat is a comprehensive space situational awareness and traffic coordination system used by a wide range of clients.
Users of the Satcat Platform
- Satellite operators
- Defense and intelligence agencies
- Ground station observers
- Financial analysts and consulting firms
- Researchers and students
Seo noted that the demand for advanced orbital data tools has been growing across both government and commercial sectors. He compared the release of sgp4.gl to a historic moment in the video game industry to illustrate the company's long-term vision.
"Releasing sgp4.gl is part of a broader effort to share more of the high-performance tooling we use internally with the larger space community," Seo explained. "A good analogy might be when the game engine for Doom was open-sourced to give developers a powerful foundation they could adapt and extend in new ways.ā
By providing a fundamental, high-performance building block like sgp4.gl, Kayhan Space aims to empower a new generation of innovation in space traffic management and analysis. This strategy allows the company to support the broader space community while continuing to develop its core commercial services.