Sakigake Ephemeris: Heliocentric Trajectories in HG, HGI, and SE Coordinates

NASA provides heliocentric trajectory data for the Sakigake spacecraft. The data, derived from JPL's Horizons system, is presented in Heliographic, Heliographic Inertial, and Solar Ecliptic coordinate frames using the 'Mean of Date' Equinox Epoch method. More precise and planet-centered coordinates are available from the original source.

Use Cases

• Modeling spacecraft trajectories based on heliocentric coordinate data
• Analyzing solar system dynamics based on coordinate frames like HG, HGI, and SE
• Comparing ephemeris calculation methods based on the described Equinox Epoch definitions
• Validating trajectory models against data from the JPL Horizons source

Strengths

• Data originates from the authoritative JPL Horizons system
• Coordinates are calculated using a specific 'Mean of Date' Equinox Epoch method
• The dataset provides daily data points

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from trajectory data from JPL's Horizons system.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 11:39:09.919678; freshness should be verified