Stellar Gate
Hyperion brand term. Positioned as a portal / entry point simplifying access to European space tenders and market intelligence.
Bilingual glossary • English primary
Speak and understand space
This glossary helps decode the most widely used acronyms in the space economy, data, platforms, operations, defence, AI, funding and compliance. Use search to find a specific term, filters to browse by field, and the printable version to export the page as a PDF from your browser.
Hyperion key terms
Owner's Advisory
Hyperion offering: architects of terrestrial industry performance through space, on the client side and independent of suppliers.
New Space
A non-acronymic term denoting the rise of private actors, faster economic models and a more product-/market-driven approach in space.
Space data
Umbrella term: data from satellites, their sensors and derived services — imagery, navigation, positioning, telemetry, metadata and analytical products.
Explore the glossary
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Detailed definitions
🚀 Relationship between Delta-V and Isp
Delta-V represents what a vehicle can achieve in space, while Isp indicates how efficiently it consumes its fuel to get there.
🔬 TRL vs ARL
🔬 TRL — Measures the maturity of the technology.
👥 ARL — Measures the maturity of usage and adoption.
🚀 Together, they help assess whether an innovation is both technically ready and truly marketable.
Note: ARL is particularly used in European innovation programmes related to space, Earth observation and projects supported by ESA in order to assess the economic valorisation potential of developed technologies.
Sortable summary table
Hyperion bilingual glossary
| Concise definition | Example | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APIPriority | Interface de programmation d'application / Application Programming Interface | Cloud & API | RH | A set of definitions and protocols that enables software applications to exchange data and functions. | The platform exposes an API to query image metadata. |
| API GraphQLPriority | API fondée sur GraphQL / Graph Query Language API | Cloud & API | GQL | A schema-driven API that lets the client request exactly the fields it needs. | A GraphQL API can return orbit, sensor and product footprint in a single call. |
| API RESTPriority | API fondée sur REST / Representational State Transfer API | Cloud & API | RH | A web API designed according to REST principles, typically over HTTP with addressable resources. | A REST API can retrieve a collection of images via a URL and filters. |
| ARL | Application Readiness Level | Innovation & market development | ESA | The ARL (Application Readiness Level) measures the maturity of an application or service intended for an end user. Unlike TRL, which assesses the maturity of a technology, ARL evaluates a solution's ability to meet a real operational need and be deployed on a market. TRL answers the question: 'Does the technology work?' ARL answers the question: 'Is this solution ready to be used by its future users?' | A satellite image analysis algorithm may have reached TRL 8 or 9, but its ARL will remain lower until the user interface, business processes, economic models or customer needs have been validated. |
| CNESPriority | Centre national d'études spatiales | Institutions & funding | CNES | The French space agency, operator, technical centre and programme agency serving France's space strategy. | CNES is a key interlocutor for many French space projects. |
| COTSPriority | Commercial Off-The-Shelf / Composants commerciaux sur étagère | Regulation & business | ESA | Commercially available components or products used as-is rather than custom-built, to reduce costs and lead times. | The space industry makes extensive use of COTS components to accelerate programmes. |
| CubeSatPriority | Cube Satellite | Orbits & platforms | ESA | A small modular satellite defined by standard 10 × 10 × 10 cm units, often used for demonstration, education and targeted missions. | A 3U CubeSat can carry a compact payload for a demonstration mission. |
| ECSS | European Cooperation for Space Standardization | Regulation & business | EUSPA | The European space standardisation framework used to harmonise engineering and quality standards. | An industrial player seeking to build space credibility often needs to familiarise itself with ECSS. |
| Edge Computing | Edge Computing / Traitement en périphérie | Data processing | RH | Edge Computing processes data directly as close as possible to its source, without waiting for it to be transferred to a remote data centre. This reduces response times, lowers the volume of data to transmit and improves system autonomy. Key takeaway: Edge Computing brings intelligence closer to the data itself. | A satellite analyses its own images on board and transmits only the useful information to the ground. |
| EGNOS | European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service | Navigation & positioning | EUSPA | The European SBAS that augments GNSS signal performance for demanding applications. | EGNOS is particularly known in European aviation applications. |
| EICPriority | European Innovation Council | Institutions & funding | EU | A European instrument supporting researchers, start-ups and deeptech SMEs carrying breakthrough innovations. | A space-tech start-up may target EIC funding depending on its maturity. |
| EOPriority | Earth Observation / Observation de la Terre | Data & sensors | EUSPA | Observation of the Earth's surface and atmosphere from space using remote-sensing instruments. | Hyperion may refer to EO solutions for infrastructure or territory monitoring. |
| EO/IRPriority | Electro-Optical / Infra-Red | Operations & security | EDA | A family of sensors and systems combining electro-optical and infrared, widely used in surveillance, defence and observation. | An EO/IR system can complement radar observation with an optical or thermal view. |
| ESAPriority | European Space Agency / Agence spatiale européenne | Institutions & funding | EUSPA | Europe's major space organisation, involved in missions, technology, operations and industrial cooperation. | A consortium may target an ESA programme to develop a demonstrator. |
| ESGPriority | Environmental, Social and Governance / Critères environnementaux, sociaux et de gouvernance | Regulation & business | EU | A set of non-financial criteria used to assess the sustainability and impact of an organisation or asset. | Satellite observation helps document ESG impact plot by plot. |
| EU SST | European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking | Space safety & orbital traffic management | EUSPA | EU SST is the European space surveillance programme tasked with detecting, tracking and analysing objects in orbit around the Earth: active satellites, defunct satellites and space debris. Near-Earth space now hosts tens of thousands of permanently tracked objects. A collision can destroy a satellite, interrupt a critical service or generate thousands of new debris. EU SST provides collision alerts and contributes to the security of European space infrastructure. It protects satellites, secures space services, reduces operational risks and contributes to European sovereignty. Key takeaway: EU SST is the equivalent of air traffic control for space. | When a European satellite risks crossing the trajectory of a piece of space debris, EU SST can recommend an avoidance manoeuvre to protect the mission. |
| EUSPAPriority | European Union Agency for the Space Programme | Institutions & funding | EUSPA | The EU agency responsible for implementing and operating an essential part of the European space programme. | EUSPA is central to Galileo, EGNOS, SSA and Secure SATCOM. |
| FP10Priority | Framework Programme 10 / futur programme-cadre | Institutions & funding | EU | The working name of the next European framework programme. At this stage, the Commission proposed in 2025 a 2028–2034 programme also titled Horizon Europe; the final name and framework are still under negotiation. | A prospect may mention FP10 when discussing the next European budget cycle. |
| FP9Priority | Framework Programme 9 / appellation d'usage de Horizon Europe | Institutions & funding | EU | The working name of the ninth European research and innovation framework programme, officially titled Horizon Europe. | In field language, FP9 is still occasionally heard when referring to Horizon Europe. |
| GalileoPriority | Galileo, système européen de navigation | Navigation & positioning | EUSPA | The European Union's civil GNSS, providing enhanced navigation, positioning and timing information. | Galileo brings European autonomy for mobility, industrial and critical timing applications. |
| GEOPriority | Geostationary Earth Orbit / Orbite géostationnaire | Orbits & platforms | ESA | An orbit above the equator where the satellite appears fixed from the ground, useful for telecoms and weather. | A weather satellite in GEO continuously observes the same region. |
| Géoïde | Geoid / Géoïde | Geodesy & terrestrial reference | ESA | The geoid is the scientific representation of the Earth's true shape based on its gravitational field. Unlike a perfect sphere, our planet has irregularities that the geoid makes it possible to model precisely. All precise altitude measurements rely on the geoid. Without this reference, it would be impossible to obtain reliable data for mapping, navigation, infrastructure, civil engineering or climate studies. The geoid enables high-precision mapping, reliable navigation, sea-level monitoring and critical infrastructure management. Key takeaway: the geoid is the reference surface used to measure the Earth precisely. | When your GPS indicates an altitude, it is calculated from a model of the Earth's geoid. |
| GNSSPriority | Global Navigation Satellite System | Navigation & positioning | EUSPA | A generic term for a constellation providing global positioning, navigation and timing services. | Galileo, GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou are GNSS. |
| GOVSATCOM | Governmental Satellite Communications | Operations & security | EUSPA | The European programme for secure satellite communications for critical security/safety missions and operations of public authorities. | GOVSATCOM targets crisis, surveillance and service-continuity applications. |
| GPS | Global Positioning System | Navigation & positioning | EUSPA | The US satellite navigation system, often used as a generic reference but distinct from Galileo and other GNSS. | A receiver can combine GPS and Galileo to improve robustness. |
| Gravimétrie spatiale | Space gravimetry / Gravimétrie spatiale | Earth sciences & advanced observation | ESA | Space gravimetry measures variations in the Earth's gravitational field from space. These variations reveal mass movements on Earth: water, ice, oceans, groundwater or geological movements. Some resources or natural phenomena are invisible from the surface. Gravimetry makes it possible to observe them indirectly through their influence on Earth's gravity. It contributes to sustainable water management, climate change monitoring, natural resource surveillance and decision support for territories. Key takeaway: gravimetry makes it possible to visualise movements invisible to the naked eye on a planetary scale. | Satellites from the GRACE and GRACE-FO missions make it possible to track groundwater depletion, glacier melt, droughts and the evolution of water resources. |
| H2020Priority | Horizon 2020 | Institutions & funding | EU | The European research and innovation funding programme for the 2014–2020 period. | A former European space project may have been funded under H2020. |
| HAS | High Accuracy Service | Navigation & positioning | EUSPA | Galileo's high-accuracy service for applications requiring better performance than the standard open service. | HAS is of interest in use cases where decimetre-level precision matters. |
| Horizon Europe | Horizon Europe / Programme-cadre de l'UE | European funding | EU | Horizon Europe is the European Union's main research and innovation funding programme. It funds many projects related to space, Earth observation, artificial intelligence, defence and strategic technologies. Key takeaway: Horizon Europe is one of the main drivers of European space innovation. | An SME developing a service using satellite data can obtain European funding to accelerate its growth. |
| Hyperspectral | Hyperspectral imaging / Imagerie hyperspectrale | Advanced observation | ESA | Hyperspectral imaging analyses the light reflected by objects across several hundred different spectral bands. Since each material has a unique spectral signature, hyperspectral makes it possible to precisely identify minerals, pollutants, crops or substances invisible to the human eye. Key takeaway: hyperspectral doesn't just show what is on Earth, it reveals what things are made of. | Detecting marine pollution, identifying strategic minerals or measuring the health of a crop. |
| IA / AIPriority | Intelligence artificielle / Artificial Intelligence | AI & software | CNIL | An automated, logic-based process typically relying on an algorithm, used to perform tasks such as classification, prediction or analysis. | We use AI to classify space imagery and detect anomalies. |
| IaaSPriority | Infrastructure as a Service / Infrastructure en tant que service | Cloud & API | RH | On-demand virtualised resources such as compute, storage and networking, accessible via the cloud. | Large-scale satellite archive processing can be run on an IaaS layer. |
| InSAR | Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar | Data & sensors | ESA | A technique that exploits the phase difference between two SAR observations to extract elevation or displacement information. | InSAR is useful for tracking subsidence, landslides or volcanic deformation. |
| IoTPriority | Internet of Things / Internet des objets | AI & software | RH | A network of connected objects and sensors that collect and exchange data, often combined with space data to enrich ground-based analysis. | Ground-based IoT sensors complement satellite imagery in a digital twin of a territory. |
| IRIS² | Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite | Operations & security | EUSPA | A European multi-orbit constellation intended for secure communications and resilient connectivity. | IRIS² combines the advantages of LEO, MEO and GEO. |
| Isp | Specific Impulse / Impulsion spécifique | Space propulsion | ESA | Isp (specific impulse) measures the efficiency of a space engine: it indicates how much thrust is produced for a given amount of propellant consumed. The higher the Isp, the more efficiently the engine uses its fuel — an essential criterion for long-duration missions or orbital transfers requiring high energy efficiency. Key takeaway: Isp measures the energy efficiency of a space propulsion system. | The electric thrusters used by many modern satellites have a much higher Isp than traditional chemical engines, allowing them to perform more manoeuvres with less propellant. |
| ITT | Invitation To Tender / Invitation à soumissionner | Institutions & funding | EUSPA | A term used in the institutional ecosystem to designate a call for tenders or a formal invitation to submit a proposal. | A company may respond to an ESA or EUSPA ITT depending on its positioning. |
| LEOPriority | Low Earth Orbit / Orbite terrestre basse | Orbits & platforms | ESA | A relatively low orbit, generally under 2,000 km altitude, widely used for observation and constellations. | Most observation satellites operate in LEO. |
| MEOPriority | Medium Earth Orbit / Orbite terrestre moyenne | Orbits & platforms | ESA | An intermediate orbit between LEO and GEO, frequently used for navigation satellites. | Galileo is a flagship example of a MEO constellation. |
| MSIPriority | MultiSpectral Instrument | Data & sensors | COP | A multispectral instrument; in the Copernicus context, Sentinel-2's MSI acquires data in 13 spectral bands. | Sentinel-2's MSI is central for agriculture, water, soil and land-use applications. |
| NDVIPriority | Normalized Difference Vegetation Index / Indice de végétation par différence normalisée | Data & sensors | COP | An index calculated from spectral bands (red and near-infrared) to measure vegetation vigour and density. | An NDVI map highlights areas of vegetation stress within a plot. |
| New SpacePriority | Terme d'usage, non acronymique | Regulation & business | ESA | A term describing the rise of private actors and faster, more market-driven and entrepreneurial models in space. | New Space is reshaping timelines, costs and growth models. |
| OGCPriority | Open Geospatial Consortium | Cloud & API | OGC | The geospatial standards body behind many interoperability standards for APIs and spatial data. | A spatial data platform gains interoperability by aligning with OGC standards. |
| OPSPriority | Operations / Opérations | Operations & security | ESA | In this glossary, OPS means space operations. The acronym is ambiguous in some ESA databases; context is therefore required. | After orbital insertion, the satellite moves into nominal OPS. |
| Optical (Imagerie optique) | Optical imagery / Imagerie optique | Earth observation | COP | Optical imagery captures images of the Earth using sensors operating in the visible and near-infrared spectrum, like an extremely high-performance camera placed in space. It makes it possible to observe cities, infrastructure, crops, forests, oceans and natural disasters with a very high level of detail. Key takeaway: optical lets us 'see' the Earth from space. | Tracking the progress of a construction site, detecting agricultural drought or mapping damage after a flood. |
| OSNMA | Open Service Navigation Message Authentication | Navigation & positioning | EUSPA | An authentication mechanism linked to Galileo's Open Service, intended to strengthen trust in the navigation message. | OSNMA helps reduce the risk of using spoofed navigation messages. |
| PaaSPriority | Platform as a Service / Plateforme en tant que service | Cloud & API | RH | A cloud model providing a development and deployment platform without direct management of the underlying infrastructure. | A data team can deploy its EO pipelines on a PaaS rather than managing its own servers. |
| PNT | Positioning, Navigation and Timing | Navigation & positioning | EUSPA | The core functional trio of satellite navigation: positioning, navigation and timing. | A critical architecture may depend on PNT to localise and synchronise. |
| PoC | Proof of Concept / Preuve de concept | Regulation & business | EUSPA | A targeted demonstration of an idea, use case or technology before moving to a more industrialised phase. | A PoC can test the integration of GNSS data into a business offering. |
| PRS | Public Regulated Service | Navigation & positioning | EUSPA | Galileo's Public Regulated Service, intended for authorised and sensitive use. | PRS addresses secure governmental or institutional needs. |
| PVT | Position, Velocity and Time | Navigation & positioning | EUSPA | The classic output set of a navigation receiver: position, velocity and time. | A GNSS API can expose the PVT of a terminal or vehicle. |
| R&DPriority | Recherche et développement / Research and Development | Institutions & funding | INSEE | Creative and systematic activities intended to increase knowledge and design new applications. | An upstream sensor or space service project often falls under R&D. |
| Radar (SAR spatial) | Spaceborne radar / Radar spatial | Earth observation | COP | Spaceborne radar uses radio waves to observe the Earth. Unlike optical imagery, it can operate day and night and through clouds, enabling continuous monitoring regardless of weather conditions. Key takeaway: radar sees where space cameras can no longer see. | Detecting ground movements of a few millimetres, monitoring critical infrastructure or mapping a flooded area under cloud cover. |
| RGPD / GDPRPriority | Règlement général sur la protection des données / General Data Protection Regulation | Regulation & business | CNIL | The European framework governing the processing of personal data within the European Union. | If the platform stores user accounts, their management must be GDPR-compliant. |
| SaaSPriority | Software as a Service / Logiciel en tant que service | Cloud & API | RH | A complete application delivered over the web by a provider that manages infrastructure, maintenance and updates. | Stellar Gate can be positioned as a SaaS offering if access is via online subscription. |
| SARPriority | Synthetic Aperture Radar / Search and Rescue | Data & sensors | COP+EUSPA | Ambiguous. In space data, SAR means Synthetic Aperture Radar, capable of imaging day, night and through clouds. In navigation, SAR can also mean Search and Rescue. | Sentinel-1 provides SAR imagery; Galileo also offers a SAR service for distress. |
| SBAS | Satellite Based Augmentation System | Navigation & positioning | EUSPA | A satellite-based augmentation system that improves GNSS performance, notably in accuracy, integrity and availability. | In aviation, an SBAS helps secure approach and navigation. |
| SIGPriority | Système d'Information Géographique / Geographic Information System (GIS) | Cloud & API | OGC | A software system for storing, analysing and visualising geographic and cartographic data. | Spatial data is fused with a GIS and business databases to produce decision maps. |
| SmallSatPriority | Small Satellite / Petit satellite | Orbits & platforms | CNES | A generic term for small satellites; depending on context, it covers several mass, format and application classes. | A SmallSat constellation can improve revisit of an area. |
| Space Weather (Météo spatiale) | Space Weather / Météo spatiale | Space environment | ESA | Space weather refers to the set of phenomena caused by the Sun's activity that can affect satellites, power grids or communication systems. A strong solar storm can disrupt communications, GPS signals or damage some space equipment. Key takeaway: the Sun directly influences space infrastructure and some terrestrial infrastructure. | Satellite operators continuously monitor space weather to protect their systems during solar flares. |
| SSAPriority | Space Situational Awareness | Operations & security | EUSPA | The set of capabilities aimed at understanding the space environment and protecting space systems from risks, notably collisions. | SSA helps anticipate risks related to debris or orbital congestion. |
| SSOPriority | Sun-Synchronous Orbit / Orbite héliosynchrone | Orbits & platforms | ESA | A particular type of polar orbit in which the satellite passes over a location at the same local solar time. | In SSO, images of the same site remain comparable because the illumination angle varies little. |
| SSTPriority | Space Surveillance and Tracking | Operations & security | EUSPA | A key SSA component based on sensors and processing capabilities to track objects in orbit. | SST is used to provide collision alerts and re-entry analyses. |
| STACPriority | SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog | Cloud & API | OGC | A family of specifications standardising the structuring and querying of spatio-temporal geospatial asset metadata. | An image catalogue can be exposed via STAC to facilitate search and integration. |
| Temps Précis (PNT) | Precise Timing / Temps précis (PNT) | Navigation, synchronisation & critical infrastructure | EUSPA | Space systems such as Galileo provide an extremely precise time reference, synchronised globally with nanosecond-level accuracy. People often think satellites are only used for positioning. In reality, much of their value comes from the precise time they distribute. Many critical infrastructures depend on perfect synchronisation. The precise time provided by satellites enables the synchronisation of power grids, the timestamping of financial transactions, the coordination of telecommunications and the hardening of critical infrastructure. Key takeaway: the precise time provided by satellites is one of the invisible foundations of the modern economy. | Every day, power grids, financial centres, telecom networks, railway systems and 5G networks use the time provided by satellites. |
| TLEPriority | Two-Line Element set | Operations & security | CTK | A compact two-line format describing the orbital parameters of a space object for orbit propagation. | A TLE is used to estimate the predicted trajectory of a satellite or debris. |
| TRLPriority | Technology Readiness Level / Niveau de maturité technologique | Institutions & funding | ESA | A 1-to-9 scale used to measure the maturity of a technology, from initial research to demonstrated flight. | A ground demonstrator may be described as TRL 4 or 5 depending on its validation environment. |
| TT&CPriority | Telemetry, Tracking and Command | Operations & security | ESA | The subsystem that links the satellite and the ground for telemetry, position tracking and command uplink. | Without TT&C, a mission cannot properly control its satellite. |
| ΔV (Delta-V) | Delta-V / Variation de vitesse | Space propulsion | ESA | Delta-V is the change in velocity a spacecraft can produce with its propulsion. It is one of the most important metrics in astronautics, as it determines a satellite or vehicle's ability to change orbit, perform manoeuvres or reach a destination. It can be compared to the range of a ground vehicle: the more Delta-V a craft has, the more complex missions it can carry out. Key takeaway: Delta-V measures the manoeuvring capacity of a spacecraft. | A satellite in low Earth orbit uses its Delta-V to correct its trajectory, avoid a collision or reach a new orbit. |
Source legend
CNES = CNES ; ESA = European Space Agency ; EUSPA = EU Agency for the Space Programme ; EU = European Commission / EIC ; CNIL = French data protection authority ; OGC = Open Geospatial Consortium ; COP = Copernicus / SentiWiki ; CTK = CelesTrak ; RH = Red Hat ; GQL = GraphQL Foundation ; INSEE = French National Institute of Statistics ; EDA = European Defence Agency.