Atmospheric Estimates for Drag Calculations
Welcome to the Space Surveillance and Tracking Services - Atmospheric Estimates for Drag Calculation service
Overview
The service "Space Surveillance and Tracking Services - Atmospheric Estimates for Drag Calculation" aims to provide estimates of atmospheric density. The estimates include high altitude atmospheric density estimate for the past year, atmospheric density forecast and relevant environmental data for the user to compute drag of spacecraft below 1500 km altitude. These are specific forecasts and prior estimates of thermospheric total neutral density in the altitude range 120 – 1500 km. Additionally, this service provides indices and forecasts of geomagnetic and solar activity. It also provides ionospheric forecasting and archive.
This service addresses the needs of space surveillance and tracking users. This includes primarily the users of surveillance and tracking centre(s), stations and services, spacecraft operators (also spacecraft operators service domain), collision warning services and re-entry risk assessment services.
Read more about this serviceHighlights
Announcements
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Products and Alerts
The following products are associated with this service:Products
Atmospheric neutral density
Neutral Density and Wind
Neutral Density and Wind
No product available in this category yet
Geomagnetic indices, forecast
Geomagnetic Indices Kp and K
- SIDC Latest daily space weather bulletin
- SIDC Daily space weather bulletin archive
- Kp 3-hour Index Forecast 3-day
- Wing 3-hour Kp Index Forecast 1-hour
- Wing 3-hour Kp Index Forecast 4-hour
- Largest Kp Index Forecast 27-day
- 72-hour K(GBI) forecast
- Forecasts of dB/dt
- SIDC Latest 3-day K-Belgium forecast
- SIDC 3-day K-Belgium forecast archive
Geomagnetic Index Ap and A
Geomagnetic indices, archives and reconstruction
Geomagnetic Indices Kp and K
- Automated Multi Dataset Analysis (AMDA)
- Kp, K, Ap, A, Dst archives on SEDAT
- Kp - planetary three-hour magnetic index archive
- 3-hourly K index: Lerwick, Eskdalemuir, Hartland
- 3-hourly Kp index
- 3-hourly K(GBI) index
- K-index from magnetometer stations in north Europe
- Most recent definitive Kp index
- Kp and Ap index on tabular form
- Kp and Ap index archive
- Hp60 and ap60 index in tabular form
- Hp60 and ap60 index archive
- Hp30 and ap30 index in tabular form
- Hp30 and ap30 index archive
- SIDC 3-day K-Belgium forecast archive
Geomagnetic Index Ap and A
- Automated Multi Dataset Analysis (AMDA)
- Kp, K, Ap, A, Dst archives on SEDAT
- Ap - planetary daily magnetic index archive
- 3-hourly aa index
- 3-hourly ap index
- Daily Aa index
- Daily Ap index
- Most recent definitive Kp index
- Kp and Ap index on tabular form
- Kp and Ap index archive
- Hp60 and ap60 index in tabular form
- Hp60 and ap60 index archive
- Hp30 and ap30 index in tabular form
- Hp30 and ap30 index archive
Geomagnetic Index Dst
- Automated Multi Dataset Analysis (AMDA)
- Kp, K, Ap, A, Dst archives on SEDAT
- Dst - Disturbance storm time index archive
Solar activity, forecast
International Sunspot number
- Latest Solar Magnetic Activity Forecasting
- Solar Magnetic Activity Forecasting archive
- Sunspot Number Forecast SC 12-month
- Sunspot Number Forecast CM 12-month
- Sunspot Number Forecast ISM 12-month
- Sunspot Number Forecast ICM 12-month
- Sunspot Number Forecast IMLM 12-month
- Sunspot Number Forecast multi-year
10.7cm Solar Radio Flux (F10.7)
- CLS F10.7 and F30 nowcast & forecast
- CLS F10.7 and F30 nowcast & forecast archive
- UGraz/KSO Latest F10.7 and F30 forecasts
- UGraz/KSO F10.7 and F30 forecasts archive
- SIDC Latest 10.7cm Solar radio flux (F10.7) forecast
- SIDC 10.7cm Solar radio flux (F10.7) forecast archive
- F10.7 Index Forecast 27-day/BGS
- F10.7 Index Forecast multi-year
- F10.7 Index Forecast 27-day/SWPC
- F10.7 Index Forecast 45-day
- F10.7 Index Forecast 30-day Absolute
- F10.7 Index Forecast 30-day Adjusted
Solar EUV Index (S10.7)
No product available in this category yet
Solar EUV Index (E10.7)
No product available in this category yet
Solar FUV Index (M10.7)
No product available in this category yet
Solar X-ray & UV Index (Y10.7)
No product available in this category yet
Solar activity, archives and reconstruction
International Sunspot number
10.7cm Solar Radio Flux (F10.7)
Solar EUV Index (S10.7)
Solar EUV Index (E10.7)
No product available in this category yet
Solar FUV Index (M10.7)
Solar X-ray & UV Index (Y10.7)
Other indices,archives and reconstruction
Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF)
Ionospheric Index (IG12)
Ionospheric density, forecast
Vertical Total Electron Content Map
3D Electron Density Grids
No product available in this category yet
Ionospheric density, archives and reconstruction
Vertical Total Electron Content Map
3D Electron Density Grids
Tools
User Manual
Introduction
The interaction between satellite and Earth’s upper atmosphere over a long period of time can significantly modify the satellite orbit. Therefore, atmospheric density models are required in the computation of the atmospheric drag force to support the determination and prediction of satellite orbits. This service provides estimates of neutral density based on an atmospheric model.
The neutral density fields are based on the semi-empirical model DTM2013, which uses solar and geomagnetic indices as input proxies of thermospheric heating. The atmospheric density service uses the following indices from ESA SWE Service Network as input to the DTM2013 model.
Solar index:
- Forecast (FORIND): F30 Index Forecast Absolute 30-day (CLS)
- Measured (SGIArv): F30 (absolute)
Geomagnetic index:
- Forecast (FORIND): ap Index Forecast 3-day (BGS), Ap Index Forecast 27-day (BGS)
- Measured (SGIArv): Definitive Ap index
Application
These services are expected to be used by a variety of users including:
- Academics investigating and modelling the upper atmosphere
- Commercial satellite operators
- ESA/ESOC/S2P SST segment/Space Debris Office and Flight Dynamics
- Third party service providers
These all feed into a wider issue of risk management for flight dynamics teams.
Key Products
Atmospheric Density Estimates for SST user (ATMDEN)
The data products provide 3D characterisation of the neutral atmosphere thorough the provision of global horizontal data-layers (2D) at a given time. The atmospheric density products consist of neutral density fields covering:
- 3 Day forecast (based on forecast 3-hourly ap index and F30)
- 27 Day forecast (based on forecast daily Ap and F30)
- 12 month (prior) estimate (based on measured Ap and F30)
The atmospheric density maps are calculated at the following altitude levels: 120, 140, 160, 180, 200, 220, 240, 260, 280, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 700, 800, 1000, 1500 km.
MoreInterruptions
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❗Due to current unavailability of the SDO input data the performance of some products is affected.