Spaceflight glossary.

Definitions of the orbital, launch, and detection terms used throughout LaunchDetect. Each term has a dedicated page with extended context.

Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

An orbit around Earth with an altitude of approximately 160 to 2,000 km above mean sea level. Used for most Earth-observ...

Geostationary Orbit (GEO)

A circular orbit at an altitude of approximately 35,786 km above Earth's equator where a satellite's orbital period exac...

Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO)

A near-polar low Earth orbit where the satellite passes over any given point on Earth's surface at the same local solar ...

Two-Line Element (TLE)

A standardized data format that encodes the orbital elements of an Earth-orbiting object as two 69-character text lines....

Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM)

An aviation advisory issued by national civil aviation authorities (in the US, the FAA) to alert pilots of conditions af...

The specific period of time during which a rocket can launch to meet its mission objectives — usually constrained by orb...

Orbital Insertion

The maneuver(s) by which a launch vehicle's payload achieves a stable orbit around Earth (or another body). For most LEO...

Describing an object (typically a satellite) in geostationary orbit. From the ground, a geostationary satellite appears ...

Sun-Synchronous

Describing an orbit that passes over the same point on Earth's surface at the same local solar time on each revolution. ...