Satellite Catalog Number
The Satellite Catalog Number ( SCN ; formerly NORAD number , USSPACECOM object number ) is a unique five-digit identification number for artificial earth satellites . In 2020, a transition to 9-digit identification numbers is planned for the format.
The catalog was previously maintained by NORAD and then USSPACECOM . It specifies the path data of the objects in TLE format. There are no indications of secret US military satellites.
The number of active satellites is currently estimated at almost 900 (as of 2008), of which almost 400 are in geostationary orbit. Another 350 unregistered objects were observed there. 200 objects appear to be space debris, the remaining 150 possibly military satellites.
The publicly available catalog contains nearly 12,800 objects in orbit from a size of about 10 cm, including 8,130 fragments of the destroyed satellite / propulsion stages and spacewalks entdriftete objects (as of March 2009). The number of objects larger than 1 cm is estimated at 600,000.
Another naming scheme for satellites is the international COSPAR designation (NSSDC-ID).
Web links
- NORAD TLE , current database
- NSSDC Master Catalog , NASA database
Individual evidence
- ↑ TS Kelso: A New Way to Obtain GP Data (aka TLEs) . CelesTrak. May 27, 2020. Accessed July 22, 2020.