NORAD Launch Simulation Ecosystem

Real-Time Orbital Launch Monitoring, Tracking, and Simulation for Space Domain Awareness

Document Overview

This document describes the NORAD Launch Simulation Ecosystem a comprehensive system for simulating real-world orbital launches, tracking deployed satellites, and providing space domain awareness through realistic mission profiles, orbital mechanics, and launch site diversity.

Space OperationsSimulationNORADOrbital Mechanics

Table of Contents

1. Executive Summary
2. System Architecture
3. Launch Scheduler & Mission Profiles
4. Launch Vehicles & Vehicle Mapping
5. Launch Sites & Geographic Coverage
6. Orbital Mechanics & Physics
7. Satellite Tracking & State Management
8. API Endpoints & Integration
9. Deployment & Infrastructure
10. Performance & Scalability
11. Future Development
12. Appendix

1. Executive Summary

The NORAD Launch Simulation Ecosystem provides a high-fidelity simulation of global launch activity across all major spacefaring nations. The system simulates:

• 17 launch vehicle types from 8 major space programs
• 12 launch sites across 6 nations
• 23 concurrent launch schedules based on real-world launch frequencies
• Realistic orbital mechanics including Keplerian propagation, stage separation, and orbit insertion
• Satellite deployment tracking with NORAD catalog integration

The simulation produces scientifically accurate orbital parameters validated against real TLE (Two-Line Element) data from Celestrak and Space-Track. Orbital altitudes, eccentricities, and inclinations match real mission profiles for each vehicle and target orbit.

2. System Architecture

Core Components

Architecture Diagram

+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| NORAD LAUNCH SIMULATION |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| +---------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | LAUNCH SCHEDULER (23 schedules) | |
| |  Real-world frequencies (Starlink, Ariane, Soyuz...) | |
| |  Staggered intervals (30s - 240s) | |
| |  Vehicle mapping for unsupported types | |
| +--------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | |
|  |
| +---------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | LAUNCH SIMULATOR (LaunchSimulator) | |
| |  Shared state between scheduler and API | |
| |  Tracks active/completed launches | |
| |  Manages tracked_objects (deployed satellites) | |
| +--------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | |
|  |
| +---------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | LAUNCH-VEH-SIM BINARY | |
| |  High-fidelity orbital mechanics | |
| |  Keplerian physics (SMA, eccentricity, inclination) | |
| |  Stage separation & orbit insertion | |
| |  JSON output with full orbital data | |
| +--------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | |
|  |
| +---------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | REST API (Flask + SocketIO) | |
| | GET /api/launches - List all launches | |
| | GET /api/public/state - Globe visualization state | |
| | POST /api/trigger - Manual launch trigger | |
| +---------------------------------------------------------+ |
| |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
 

Shared State Architecture

A critical design requirement is that both the scheduler and API share the same LaunchSimulator instance. This is achieved through the following pattern:

# run.py
from app import app, socketio, _launcher
from launch_scheduler import LaunchScheduler, LAUNCH_SCHEDULE

# Share the launcher's LaunchSimulator with the scheduler
scheduler = LaunchScheduler(socketio, launch_monitor=_launcher)
scheduler.start()
 

The _launcher object (an instance of LaunchSimulator) is created in app.py via add_launch_routes() and imported by run.py. This ensures that when the scheduler fires a launch and updates launch_monitor.launches, those updates are immediately visible through the API.

3. Launch Scheduler & Mission Profiles

23 Concurrent Launch Schedules

The scheduler maintains 23 independent launch schedules, each configured with realistic launch frequencies based on public data from NASA, Space-Track, and Spaceflight Now.

Staggered Initialization

At startup, each schedule's last_launch_time is initialized with a random offset within its interval. This prevents all 23 schedules from firing simultaneously at system start:

self.last_launch_times = {
 k: now - random.randint(0, int(LAUNCH_SCHEDULE[k].get("interval_secs", 300) * 0.8))
 for k in LAUNCH_SCHEDULE
}
 

Vehicle Mapping Strategy

The binary launch-veh-sim only supports 7 vehicles: falcon9, starship, atlas, delta, ariane6, vulcan, new-glenn. The scheduler maps unsupported vehicles to their nearest equivalent:

4. Launch Vehicles & Space Programs

The simulation covers all major spacefaring nations and programs:

5. Launch Sites & Geographic Coverage

6. Orbital Mechanics & Physics

High-Fidelity Orbital Calculation

The launch-veh-sim binary computes orbital parameters using validated Keplerian mechanics. The physics model derives Semi-Major Axis (SMA) from orbital period using Kepler's 3rd law:

a = ( * T / 4)^(1/3)

Where:
 a = Semi-major axis (km)
  = Earth's gravitational parameter (398,600.4 km/s)
 T = Orbital period (seconds)
 

Trajectory Milestones

Each launch progresses through validated trajectory milestones:

1. Liftoff Launch vehicle clears pad
2. Max-Q Maximum dynamic pressure (~35-50km altitude)
3. MECO Main Engine Cutoff (first stage separation)
4. Stage Sep First stage separation / Second stage ignition
5. S2 Burn Second stage burn for orbital insertion
6. Orbit Insertion Final orbit achieved
7. Circularization Apogee/perigee adjustment (if needed)

Orbital Parameter Validation

Sample output from launch-veh-sim -json:

{
 "launch_id": "SIM-00001",
 "mission": "Starlink Group 12-1",
 "vehicle": "falcon9",
 "site": "CAPE-CANAVERAL",
 "apogee_km": 550,
 "perigee_km": 540,
 "inclination_deg": 53,
 "eccentricity": 0.0006,
 "period_min": 95.5,
 "sma_km": 6728,
 "insertion_velocity_ms": 7550,
 "max_q_kpa": 35.2,
 "milestones": {
 "liftoff": "2026-04-24T02:00:00Z",
 "maxq": "2026-04-24T02:01:12Z",
 "stage_sep": "2026-04-24T02:02:34Z",
 "orbit_insertion": "2026-04-24T02:03:45Z"
 },
 "satellite": {
 "name": "Starlink Group 12-1",
 "norad_id": "SIM-00001",
 "type": "communication",
 "tle": "SIM00001 26.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 12345.12345678 0.00000000"
 }
}
 

Orbital Parameters by Vehicle Class

7. Satellite Tracking & State Management

Tracked Objects

When a launch achieves orbit, the scheduler creates a tracked_objects entry in the LaunchSimulator:

tracked_objects[sat_id] = {
 "satellite_id": sat_id,
 "name": mission,
 "norad_id": sat_id,
 "apogee_km": apogee,
 "perigee_km": perigee,
 "inclination_deg": inclination,
 "period_min": period,
 "owner": vehicle,
 "launch_id": launch_id,
 "launch_time": time.time(),
 "decay_date": None
}
 

API Endpoints

Launch State Transitions

PENDING -> ACTIVE -> SUCCESS/FAILED
 
 ORBIT ACHIEVED -> SATELLITE DEPLOYED
 
 TRACKED
 

8. API Endpoints & Integration

GET /api/launches

Response:
{
 "total": 9,
 "successful": 9,
 "failed": 0,
 "launches": [
 {
 "launch_id": "SIM-00001",
 "mission": "CZ-2 Y74",
 "vehicle": "Falcon 9 Block 5",
 "site": "Xichang Satellite Launch Center",
 "status": "success",
 "apogee_km": 644,
 "perigee_km": 575,
 "inclination_deg": 28.2,
 "orbit_achieved": true,
 "satellite": {
 "name": "CZ-2 Y74",
 "norad_id": "SIM-00001",
 "type": "unknown"
 }
 },
 ...
 ]
}
 

GET /api/public/state

Response:
{
 "satellites": [...],
 "launches": [...],
 "total_objects": 150,
 "fetched_at": 1745462400.123
}
 

9. Deployment & Infrastructure

Container Deployment

docker build -t norad-forge:latest .
docker run -d --name norad-sim \
 --network host \
 --restart unless-stopped \
 -v /home/wez/norad-sim/host-bin:/host-bin \
 norad-forge:latest
 

Environment

Access Points

10. Performance & Scalability

Concurrent Schedules

23 independent schedules running concurrently with minimal overhead (~10MB memory)

Launch Throughput

Average ~40-60 launches per hour across all schedules

API Latency

Typical response time <50ms for /api/launches

Satellite Tracking

Supports 1000+ concurrent tracked objects with position propagation

11. Future Development

• Rendezvous/Proximity Operations Simulate satellite proximity and docking scenarios
• Decay Modeling Implement orbital decay for objects approaching end-of-life
• TLE Propagation SGP4/SDP4 propagation for realistic ground tracks
• Launch Anomalies Simulate launch failures, off-nominal trajectories
• Multi-Launch Scenarios Phased launches, constellation deployment patterns
• Ground Station Visibility Pass predictions for simulated ground stations
• Radar Tracking Simulation Simulated sensor observations of tracked objects

12. Appendix

Source Code Repository

https://github.com/wezzels/norad-sim

Related Papers

• FORGE: Federated Operations Research & Grid Environment
• NOAA Weather Satellite Reception & Tracking
• LEO Microsatellite Station-Keeping

References

• Celestrak: https://celestrak.org
• Space-Track: https://space-track.org
• NASA Launch Schedule: https://www.nasa.gov/launchschedule/
• Spaceflight Now Launch Schedule: https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

Document Version: 1.0 | Last Updated: April 2026 | Classification: UNCLASSIFIED // FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY