juliensimon/space-track-satcat

---
license: cc-by-4.0
pretty_name: "NORAD Satellite Catalog (SATCAT)"
language:
- en
description: "Complete catalog of all tracked objects in Earth orbit from the 18th Space Defense Squadron via CelesTrak. Updated daily."
task_categories:
- tabular-classification
tags:
- space
- satellite
- norad
- celestrak
- orbital-mechanics
- space-track
- open-data
- ssa
- debris
- tabular-data
- parquet
size_categories:
- 10K<n<100K
configs:
- config_name: default
data_files:
- split: train
path: data/satcat.parquet
default: true
---

# NORAD Satellite Catalog (SATCAT)

*Part of the [Orbital Mechanics Datasets](https://huggingface.co/collections/juliensimon/orbital-mechanics-datasets-69c24caca4ab3934c9856994) collection on Hugging Face.*


Complete NORAD Satellite Catalog from [CelesTrak](https://celestrak.org/), tracking every
object cataloged by the 18th Space Defense Squadron since 1957. Currently **68,277**
objects (25,539 payloads, 35,750 debris, 6,824 rocket bodies).

## Dataset description

The SATCAT (Satellite Catalog) is the authoritative registry of all artificial objects
in Earth orbit and beyond — active satellites, defunct spacecraft, rocket bodies, and
debris. Each entry includes launch metadata, orbital parameters, operational status,
and physical characteristics. This dataset mirrors the full catalog daily from CelesTrak.

## Schema

| Column | Type | Description |
|--------|------|-------------|
| `object_name` | string | Official name (e.g. "STARLINK-1234", "ISS (ZARYA)") |
| `intl_designator` | string | International designator / COSPAR ID (e.g. "2024-123A") |
| `norad_id` | int32 | NORAD catalog number (unique identifier) |
| `object_type` | string | `PAY` (payload), `R/B` (rocket body), `DEB` (debris), `UNK` (unknown) |
| `ops_status` | string | Operational status code (see below) |
| `owner` | string | Owner/operator country or organization code |
| `launch_date` | datetime | Launch date (UTC) |
| `launch_site` | string | Launch site code (e.g. "AFETR", "TYMSC") |
| `decay_date` | datetime | Reentry/decay date, if applicable |
| `period_min` | float | Orbital period in minutes |
| `inclination` | float | Orbital inclination in degrees |
| `apogee_km` | float | Apogee altitude in km |
| `perigee_km` | float | Perigee altitude in km |
| `rcs_m2` | float | Radar cross-section in m² |
| `data_status` | string | Data quality/status flag |
| `orbit_center` | string | Central body (e.g. "EA" for Earth) |
| `orbit_type` | string | Orbit classification |

### Operational status codes

| Code | Meaning |
|------|---------|
| `+` | Operational |
| `-` | Non-operational |
| `P` | Partially operational |
| `B` | Backup/standby |
| `S` | Spare |
| `X` | Extended mission |
| `D` | Decayed |
| `?` | Unknown |

## Quick stats

- **68,277** cataloged objects
- **25,539** payloads, **35,750** debris fragments, **6,824** rocket bodies
- **34,921** objects have decayed/reentered
- **129** distinct owner codes

## Usage

```python
from datasets import load_dataset

ds = load_dataset("juliensimon/space-track-satcat", split="train")
df = ds.to_pandas()

# Active payloads only
active = df[(df["object_type"] == "PAY") & (df["ops_status"] == "+")]
print(f"{len(active):,} active payloads")

# Launches per year
df["year"] = df["launch_date"].dt.year
launches_by_year = df.groupby("year")["norad_id"].count()

# Objects by owner
top_owners = df["owner"].value_counts().head(10)

# LEO vs GEO
leo = df[(df["perigee_km"] < 2000) & (df["perigee_km"] > 0)]
geo = df[(df["perigee_km"] > 35000) & (df["apogee_km"] < 36500)]
```

## Data source

All data comes from [CelesTrak](https://celestrak.org/pub/satcat.csv), which mirrors
the official US Space Command SATCAT. CelesTrak is maintained by Dr. T.S. Kelso and
is the standard public source for space situational awareness data.

## Update schedule

Daily at 06:00 UTC via [GitHub Actions](https://github.com/juliensimon/space-datasets).

## Related datasets

- [starlink-fleet-data](https://huggingface.co/datasets/juliensimon/starlink-fleet-data) — Daily Starlink constellation health snapshots
- [space-launch-log](https://huggingface.co/datasets/juliensimon/space-launch-log) — Global launch history from GCAT
- [starlink-ground-stations](https://huggingface.co/datasets/juliensimon/starlink-ground-stations) — Starlink gateway and PoP locations

## Pipeline

Source code: [juliensimon/space-datasets](https://github.com/juliensimon/space-datasets)

## Support

If you find this dataset useful, please give it a ❤️ on the [dataset page](https://huggingface.co/datasets/juliensimon/space-track-satcat) and share feedback in the Community tab! Also consider giving a ⭐️ to the [space-datasets](https://github.com/juliensimon/space-datasets) repo.

## Citation

```bibtex
@dataset{space_track_satcat,
author = {Simon, Julien},
title = {NORAD Satellite Catalog (SATCAT)},
year = {2026},
publisher = {Hugging Face},
url = {https://huggingface.co/datasets/juliensimon/space-track-satcat},
note = {Based on NORAD/18th Space Defense Squadron data via CelesTrak (Dr. T.S. Kelso)}
}
```

## License

[CC-BY-4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)