Questions and Answers:
Q: What is sgp4.gl? sgp4.gl is a GPU-accelerated SGP4 orbital propagator that enables real-time satellite visualization at catalog scale directly in a web browser.
Q: Who can use sgp4.gl? A: The software is free and open-source, available to developers, satellite operators, and researchers interested in large-scale satellite modeling.
Q: How does sgp4.gl improve performance over traditional methods? A: It leverages GPU acceleration to maintain high frame rates when processing thousands of satellites, ensuring smooth interactions and better visualization.
DENVER - Kayhan Space, a provider of advanced spaceflight intelligence and autonomous safety solutions in Boulder, Colo., announced the launch of sgp4.gl, a GPU-accelerated SGP4 propagator designed for large-scale satellite modeling. The tool enables smooth, real-time propagation directly in the browser, allowing high-fidelity visualization of thousands of satellites simultaneously.
Kayhan says that traditional orbital propagation methods often struggle to scale with large satellite catalogs, resulting in low frame rates and degraded user experience. sgp4.gl overcomes these limitations by using GPU acceleration to maintain performance even as orbital datasets grow.
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"As a company, we have significantly benefited from using existing open-source technologies, and we're happy to give back to the community whenever possible," said Araz Feyzi, co-founder and CTO of Kayhan Space.
Open source
The software is freely available and comes with an open-source demo integrating sgp4.gl with Next.js and CesiumJS, deployable on Vercel. The demo allows developers and operators to explore, test, and extend the tool, processing tens of thousands of satellite tracks at once. A live version is available at https://sgp4gl-demo.vercel.app, with source code on GitHub.
"sgp4.gl is one way we are giving back to the community of developers and operators building the future of space," said Hyun Seo, chief product officer at Kayhan Space. "It is free, performs at a level that makes large catalogs easy to explore, and offers a glimpse of the advanced capabilities we are delivering in our production systems."
Founded in 2019, Kayhan Space is a company specializing in Space Situational Awareness and Space Traffic Coordination, serving commercial operators and government agencies, including the Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Jamie Whitney
Jamie Whitney joined the staff of Military & Aerospace Electronics and Intelligent Aerospace. He brings seven years of print newspaper experience to the aerospace and defense electronics industry.
Whitney oversees editorial content for the Intelligent Aerospace Website, as well as produce news and features for Military & Aerospace Electronics, attend industry events, produce Webcasts, oversee print production of Military & Aerospace Electronics, and expand the Intelligent Aerospace and Military & Aerospace Electronics franchises with new and innovative content.
