← Back to catalogue
Published

spacecraft

vr.tr.spacecraft · thing-q40218

Let an agent handle spacecraft by type, mission, status and tracking, explain how they work, and cover space law and history with sourced data.

Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.OBJ
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Identify Which spacecraft.

Mission

Mission facts.

Mission

Mission facts.

  1. What is this spacecraft, who operates it, and what is its mission, according to the operator? provenance
  2. When was it launched, and what is its status? provenance

Type

Spacecraft type.

Type

Type.

  1. What type of spacecraft is it, and where does it operate? definition
  2. Is it crewed? boundary
Works How spacecraft work.

Subsystems

Power, control, comms.

Subsystems

Subsystems.

  1. How do power, propulsion, attitude control and communications subsystems work? definition
  2. How is the spacecraft protected from heat and radiation? definition

Operations

Ground operations.

Operations

Operations.

  1. How is the spacecraft commanded and monitored from the ground? definition
  2. What happens at end of life? provenance
Track Where it is.

Position

Tracking.

Position

Tracking.

  1. Where is the spacecraft now, according to public tracking data? provenance
  2. When can it be seen passing overhead? measurement

Re-entry

Re-entry predictions.

Re-entry

Re-entry.

  1. Is a re-entry predicted, and where, according to space agencies? provenance
  2. What are the risks? provenance
Law Space governance.

Registration

Registration.

Registration

Registration.

  1. Which state registered this spacecraft, and who is liable for damage? provenance
  2. Which treaty applies? provenance

Debris

Debris mitigation.

Debris

Debris mitigation.

  1. Which debris mitigation rules apply to this mission? provenance
  2. How is the spacecraft to be disposed of? provenance

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Physical world and living systems
Entry kind
thing
Plane
PHY
Domain
PHY.OBJ
Other names and narrower kinds
space habitat, Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Experiment, Mozhayets, SRET, Sänger, autonomous spacecraft, rover, uncrewed spacecraft, crewed spacecraft, spaceplane, Starship tanker, Haolong

What it is Filled

A vehicle designed to fly in outer space, whether crewed or uncrewed, including satellites, probes, landers, rovers, crewed capsules and stations, space habitats, re-entry vehicles and autonomous spacecraft; spacecraft are launched by rockets and may operate under ground control, onboard crew control or autonomous control, with registration governed by applicable space law rather than defining spacecraft identity.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent handle spacecraft by type, mission, status and tracking, explain how they work, and cover space law and history with sourced data.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • A spacecraft is designed to operate in space.
  • A spacecraft may be crewed or uncrewed.
  • Spacecraft have subsystems for power, control and communication.
  • International registration records can support identification, but registration is not a defining property of a spacecraft.

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Send commands to a spacecraft it is not authorized to operate.
  • Manoeuvre in ways that raise collision risk without coordination.
  • Leave debris or disposal plans that endanger other spacecraft.
  • Interfere with another operator's communications.

Only with a human decision

  • Any manoeuvre, deorbit or crew-affecting decision.

May

  • Report a spacecraft's status and orbit from its operator or official registries.
  • Monitor telemetry and propose commands for operators to approve.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Space debris threatens all users of orbit for generations.
  • Crewed spacecraft carry lives with no easy rescue.

Who is affected

  • Crews
  • Other spacecraft operators
  • People under re-entry paths

Owners Filled

Steward

The responsible operator or mission authority, with state responsibilities determined by applicable space law.

Master systems

  • The United Nations Register of Objects Launched into Outer Space records registered space objects.
  • National space object registers record objects within their respective coverage.

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q16391167 - registry parent class
  • Q4235019 - registry parent class
  • Q7194062 - registry parent class

related

  • space object - category
  • flying machine - category
  • celestial body - target
  • ship - vessel analogy

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.spacecraft
  • Wikidata: Q40218 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q40218)
  • COSPAR ID: international designator launch-based identifier
  • NORAD catalogue number: satellite catalogue number tracking identifier

Direct properties required Filled

  • Mass: kg - Mass is determined for a specified configuration with the inclusion of propellant and payload stated.
  • Overall dimensions: m - Length, width and height are measured for a specified stowed or deployed configuration.
  • Moment of inertia: kg m2 - Moment of inertia is calculated or measured about specified axes for the relevant mass distribution.
  • Electrical power: W - Generated or consumed power is measured under specified illumination and operating conditions.

Recognition required Filled

  • Solar arrays and antennas
  • Heat shields on re-entry vehicles
  • Launch vehicles carry spacecraft but are separate
  • Structures with solar panels, antennas, thrusters and instruments, or capsules with heat shields.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • identify a spacecraft and its mission
  • explain spacecraft subsystems
  • track spacecraft using public data
  • explain registration and debris rules

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Mission failures
  • Space debris and collisions
  • Uncontrolled re-entry

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • Outer Space Treaty and Registration Convention
  • ITU frequency coordination
  • Space debris mitigation guidelines

Context of use required Filled

  • Exploration, communication, observation and human spaceflight.
  • satellites
  • planetary probes, landers and rovers
  • crewed spacecraft and stations
  • space habitats
  • re-entry and test vehicles

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q40218: spacecraft - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Spacecraft - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should each spacecraft be a separate entry?
  • How should tracking data be linked?
  • How should mission status be kept current?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q40218/spec.json