Dataset tracks maneuvers of low Earth orbit satellites to reduce collision risks
MAD-LEO: A Maneuver-Annotated Orbital Dataset for LEO Satellites with Tiered Multi-Source Evidence
Databases
Summary
As more satellites are launched into low Earth orbit, the chance they might collide increases. The authors created a detailed dataset called MAD-LEO that records when satellites change their paths, which is important for tracking and avoiding crashes. They combined information from different sources, including mission reports and satellite tracking data, to confirm the accuracy of these maneuvers. This dataset helps scientists and engineers better understand satellite movements in space.
low Earth orbit (LEO)satellite maneuvertwo-line element (TLE)ephemerissatellite laser ranging (SLR)orbital collisionsatellite constellationgeodetic satellitealtimetry satelliteorbit tracking
Authors
Zhixin Guo, Qi Shi, Xiaofan Xu, Linqiang Ge, Hua Zhu, Liyan Ben, Bendian Nie, Yuanrui Zhao, Xiaohan Li
Abstract
With the rapid development of aerospace technology and the large-scale deployment of low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations, the risk of orbital collisions has increased, creating a growing demand for reliable observations of satellite maneuvers. However, public datasets containing real maneuver records remain scarce. We present MAD-LEO, a Maneuver-Annotated orbital Dataset for LEO satellites. The mission-reported subset contains 1,134 maneuver events from eleven geodetic and altimetry satellites spanning 1992 to 2026, with labels taken directly from mission-published maneuver histories. Each event is checked against two-line element (TLE) data, precise orbit products, and satellite laser ranging (SLR) observations, with evidence tiers assigned according to data availability. The operational subset pairs operator-published ephemerides for 6,785 Starlink satellites with cataloged TLE records over a continuous 107-hour period. Technical validation across seven machine-readable experiment suites confirms the cross-source consistency of the labels and the evidence products.