{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.artificial-satellite","code":"thing-q26540","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q26540/","name":"artificial satellite","alternateNames":["orbital power plant","picosatellite","research satellite","Mandrake 2","Energia satellite bus","derelict spacecraft","artificial moon","radar calibration satellite","passive satellite","orbital platform","P-11","Huan Jing"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.2","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.OBJ"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A human-made object placed in orbit around Earth or another body, from communication, navigation, weather and Earth observation satellites to scientific and military satellites, tiny picosatellites and derelict spacecraft; satellites are launched by rockets, registered under space law, tracked as they orbit, and raise issues of debris and sustainability.","purpose":"Let an agent explain satellite types and functions, identify and track satellites with public data, explain space law and debris issues, and support education and public interest.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Human-made","Orbiting","Function-specific","Registered and tracked"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"types","name":"Types","description":"Kinds of satellite.","layers":[{"id":"function","name":"Function","description":"What satellites do.","findings":[{"id":"function-finding","name":"Function","description":"Function.","questions":[{"text":"What type of satellite is this, what does it do, and who operates it, according to public records?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which orbit does it use, and why?","kind":"definition"}]}]},{"id":"orbits","name":"Orbits","description":"Orbit types.","findings":[{"id":"orbits-finding","name":"Orbits","description":"Orbits.","questions":[{"text":"How do low Earth, medium, geostationary and other orbits differ in use?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"How long do satellites stay in orbit?","kind":"measurement"}]}]}]},{"id":"track","name":"Track","description":"Finding satellites.","layers":[{"id":"observe","name":"Observe","description":"Seeing satellites.","findings":[{"id":"observe-finding","name":"Observe","description":"Observing.","questions":[{"text":"When can this satellite or the International Space Station be seen from this location?","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which public tracking services provide predictions?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"identify","name":"Identify","description":"Identifying an object.","findings":[{"id":"identify-finding","name":"Identify","description":"Identification.","questions":[{"text":"What is this satellite, given its catalogue number or observed pass?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is it active or derelict?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"law","name":"Law","description":"Governance.","layers":[{"id":"registration","name":"Registration","description":"Registration and licensing.","findings":[{"id":"registration-finding","name":"Registration","description":"Registration.","questions":[{"text":"Which state registered this satellite, and which licences and frequency coordination apply?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Who is liable for damage?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"debris","name":"Debris","description":"Debris and sustainability.","findings":[{"id":"debris-finding","name":"Debris","description":"Debris.","questions":[{"text":"Which debris mitigation rules apply, and how is end of life handled?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What are the debates on megaconstellations, attributed to their proponents and critics?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"learn","name":"Learn","description":"Education and history.","layers":[{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History of satellites.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How did artificial satellites develop from Sputnik onward, according to historians?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which missions were milestones?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"build","name":"Build","description":"Small satellites.","findings":[{"id":"build-finding","name":"Build","description":"Small satellites.","questions":[{"text":"How are picosatellites and CubeSats built and launched by universities and companies?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which rules apply to small satellite projects?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Report a satellite's orbit, operator and status from public registers and catalogues.","Explain satellite types, orbits and the services they provide.","Warn operators of predicted close approaches from shared tracking data."],"mustNot":["Send commands to a satellite it is not authorized to control.","Help jam, spoof or interfere with satellite signals.","Assist in damaging a satellite or creating debris.","Use satellite imagery to track a specific person without lawful basis."],"requiresHuman":["Manoeuvring or deorbiting a satellite.","Releasing high-resolution imagery of sensitive sites or individuals."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Navigation, weather and communication depend on satellites; disruption harms millions.","Debris and crowded orbits threaten everyone's access to space."],"affectedParties":["Users of satellite services","Other operators in orbit","People on the ground under imaging"]},"owners":{"steward":"The operator; the launching state answers internationally and registers it.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["UN Register of Objects Launched into Outer Space","National space object registers"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q11375966","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q1297322","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q40218","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"spacecraft","type":"related","note":"category"},{"target":"artificial celestial body","type":"related","note":"category"},{"target":"radio communication station","type":"related","note":"ground stations"},{"target":"magnetic cloud","type":"related","note":"space weather"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.artificial-satellite","Wikidata: Q26540 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q26540)","NORAD catalogue number: satellite catalogue number tracking identifier","COSPAR ID: international designator launch identifier"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["Mass:  kg - Determine mass from spacecraft measurements and propellant accounting for a stated mission phase.","Maximum deployed dimension:  m - Measure the greatest end-to-end extent with antennas and other deployable structures in their stated configuration.","Orbital period:  s - Determine the time for one orbit from tracking data and specify the central body and observation epoch.","Projected area:  m2 - Calculate the silhouette area for a stated viewing or flight direction and spacecraft attitude."]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Orbiting human-made object","Moving steadily across the night sky","Natural satellites such as the Moon are not artificial","Spacecraft with solar panels and antennas, seen from Earth as moving points of light."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain satellite types and orbits","identify and track satellites","explain registration, licensing and debris rules","support observing satellites"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Space debris and collisions","Uncontrolled re-entry","Interference with astronomy"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Outer Space Treaty and Registration Convention","ITU frequency and orbit coordination","Space debris mitigation guidelines"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Communications, navigation, observation and science from orbit.","communication satellites","navigation satellites","Earth observation and weather satellites","scientific and research satellites","small satellites such as picosatellites and derelict satellites"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q26540: artificial satellite","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q26540","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Satellite","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should each satellite type be a separate entry?","How should tracking data be linked?","How should debris policy be tracked?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q26540/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q26540/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-11T20:51:21Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:29+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}