Data Handling Policy

How STX Orbital processes, stores, and protects orbital data.

Overview

STX Orbital provides conjunction screening services that process orbital ephemeris data from multiple sources. This policy describes how we handle data from public catalogs, operator-provided ephemeris, and Operator-to-Operator (O/O) data exchange agreements.

Core Principle: STX Orbital uses ephemeris data exclusively for conjunction screening. We do not redistribute raw ephemeris data to third parties.

Data Sources

Public Catalog (Space-Track.org)

General Perturbations (GP) TLE data for ~60,000 tracked objects, sourced from the U.S. Space Force 18th Space Defense Squadron. Used under Space-Track.org User Agreement terms. Updated continuously.

Operator-Provided Ephemeris

TLEs or state vectors provided directly by our customers for their own assets. Used exclusively for screening that customer's objects against the catalog. Never shared with other operators or third parties.

O/O Exchange Data (Planned)

STX Orbital is actively pursuing Operator-to-Operator data agreements with constellation operators. When established, enhanced ephemeris will enable higher-fidelity conjunction screening against active constellation traffic. O/O ephemeris will be used solely to generate screening results—raw ephemeris is never exposed to customers or third parties.

Data Usage

Purpose Permitted
Conjunction screening for customer assets
Generating risk assessments and PDF reports
Computing miss distance, TCA, and geometry
Redistributing raw TLE/ephemeris to customers
Sharing O/O data with third parties
Selling or licensing ephemeris data

Retention & Storage

Catalog TLEs

Rolling 30-day retention. Older epochs overwritten as new data arrives from Space-Track.

Screening Results

Retained per customer contract. Default 1 year for audit trail. Configurable per operator.

O/O Ephemeris (Future)

Will be retained only for active screening window (typically 7 days). Purged after use per O/O agreement terms.

Customer TLEs

Retained while asset is active in Watchtower. Purged on customer request or account termination.

Security & Infrastructure

  • US-Only Infrastructure: All processing and storage occurs within United States data centers. No data is transferred to or processed in foreign jurisdictions.
  • Encryption at Rest: All stored data encrypted using AES-256. Database-level encryption enabled on all production systems.
  • Encryption in Transit: TLS 1.3 enforced on all API endpoints and web interfaces. No plaintext transmission of ephemeris data.
  • Access Control: Role-based access. Customers can only access their own assets and screening results. No cross-tenant data visibility.
  • On-Premises Option: Air-gapped deployment available for government and defense programs requiring complete data sovereignty.

What Customers Receive

STX Orbital provides screening results, not raw ephemeris. Customer outputs include:

📊
Risk Level (RED/YELLOW/GREEN)
📏
Miss Distance & TCA
🎯
R/I/C Geometry
🚀
Maneuver Recommendations
📄
PDF Audit Reports
🔔
Automated Alerts

Note: Customers receive the name and NORAD ID of conjuncting objects for identification purposes. Raw TLE lines or state vectors of third-party objects are not provided.

For O/O Data Providers

STX Orbital welcomes Operator-to-Operator data exchange agreements with constellation operators. If you operate a constellation and are interested in enabling enhanced conjunction screening for the broader operator community, we'd like to discuss terms.

We commit to using your ephemeris data exclusively for screening purposes, with no redistribution of raw data. Retention policies, access controls, and audit requirements are negotiable per agreement.

Contact: rob@stxorbital.com

Questions about our data handling practices?

rob@stxorbital.com +1 801-897-6751