Getting Started

Create your account, set up your first scenario, and run your first orbit propagation in Space Mission Designer.

This guide takes you from a fresh account to your first propagated orbit.

1. Create an account

Sign up at app.spacemissiondesigner.com. Every account starts on the Free plan with 100 monthly computation credits. Verify your email to activate the account.

2. Create a scenario

A scenario is the container for a mission study: it defines the mission timeline, ground stations, and the satellites involved. From the home dashboard, create a new scenario and give it a name and time range.

3. Add a satellite

You have two options:

  • Import a real satellite — search by NORAD ID and import its TLE or OMM elements from public catalogs.
  • Design your own — define a CubeSat with classical orbital elements (semi-major axis, eccentricity, inclination, RAAN, argument of perigee, mean anomaly).

4. Add a ground station

Place a ground station by latitude, longitude, and altitude. Set a minimum elevation mask (e.g., 5°) to reflect real antenna constraints.

5. Propagate the orbit

Run orbit propagation on your satellite:

  • SGP4 — fast, standard for TLE/OMM-based catalog satellites.
  • Numerical (Orekit) — high-fidelity propagation including J2 and other perturbations. Available on the Pro plan.

Results render on the interactive 3D globe: orbit path, ground track, and position over time.

6. Run access analysis

With a satellite propagated and a ground station defined, run an access computation to get all visibility windows: start/end time, duration, and maximum elevation for each pass.

Next steps