Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.valar.space/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt.Use this page to manage the attitude mode catalog from the operations dashboard. For an introduction to what an attitude mode is, what body axes mean, and how target types fit together, see Attitude Modes Overview. Route:
/attitude/modes
Opening the Modes Library
From the attitude modes page header, click Modes library to open the workspace catalog. The button sits on the right of the header, alongside Import and Export. Clicking it opens a wide modal overlay that fills most of your screen. Inside the overlay, the catalog is rendered as a master-detail editor. The list of modes runs down the left; selecting a mode opens its configuration on the right.Viewing the Catalog
The catalog is a single flat list of every attitude mode defined in your workspace, sorted alphabetically by display name. The five pre-installed modes — Earth-pointing, Sun-pointing, Velocity-tracking, Inertial-pointing, and Free drift — appear inline with any modes you have created yourself. Pre-installed modes carry no badge or visual distinction — every mode in the catalog exposes the same Edit, Set as default, and Delete affordances. TheCUSTOM placeholder that appears in attitude data imported from AEM files is intentionally excluded from this library — those entries live on the transition schedule instead and can only be added or removed by importing or removing the source .aem file.
Creating a Mode
Click + New at the top of the library list to open the Create attitude mode form on the right. The dropdowns inside the form use the platform’s internal target and axis identifiers. Match them to your physical setup using this table:| What you want the body axis to track | Primary Target dropdown value | Extra parameter |
|---|---|---|
| The Sun | SUN_DIRECTION | None |
| The Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, or Mercury | CELESTIAL_BODY | Body picker (MOON, MARS, JUPITER, SATURN, VENUS, MERCURY) |
| Earth nadir — the geodetic point directly below the spacecraft | GEODETIC_NADIR | None |
| A fixed direction on the celestial sphere — a star, calibration source, or fixed beacon | FIXED_INERTIAL | Right ascension 0 to 359.999 degrees and declination -90 to 90 degrees |
| A ground station in your workspace | GROUND_POINT | Ground-station picker populated from your workspace’s ground-station list |
| The spacecraft’s velocity vector | VELOCITY_VECTOR | None |
| The projection of velocity onto the ground track | GROUND_TRACK_VELOCITY | None |
| The orbit’s angular-momentum vector | ORBIT_ANGULAR_MOMENTUM | None |
Enter a Display name
Type a name into Display name. This is the only required field and is limited to 100 characters; the form blocks submission above that limit.
Add an optional Description
Use Description to record free-form notes about the mode (intent, mission rationale, references). Limited to 500 characters; leave it blank if you don’t need it.
Pick the Primary Target
Open the Primary Target dropdown and pick the value matching your row in the table above. If the target needs extra parameters — a celestial body, a ground station, or right ascension and declination — the form reveals those inputs below the dropdown.
Pick the Primary Body axis
Choose which face of your spacecraft tracks the primary target. The Primary Body axis dropdown offers
PLUS_X, MINUS_X, PLUS_Y, MINUS_Y, PLUS_Z, and MINUS_Z. See Body Axes if you’re unsure which face corresponds to each.Pick the Secondary Target and Secondary Body axis
The Secondary Target and Secondary Body axis controls work the same way and resolve the remaining rotational degree of freedom around the primary direction. The Secondary Body axis dropdown disables the axis letter you used for the primary: if your primary is
PLUS_X, both PLUS_X and MINUS_X are unavailable for the secondary, so the form forces the two axes onto different physical dimensions.Editing a Mode
Every mode in the catalog is editable, including the five pre-installed modes. Pick a mode in the library list — the right panel becomes the Edit attitude mode form, pre-filled with the mode’s current values. The fields and validation rules are identical to those described in Creating a mode. Click Update to save. The dialog closes and a confirmation toast appears: “Attitude mode updated”.Editing a mode applies workspace-wide. Every spacecraft that references the mode — as its default, on a scheduled transition, or anywhere a mode picker uses it — picks up the new configuration on its next attitude calculation. You do not need to touch each spacecraft individually.
Deleting a Mode
Click Delete on the mode you want to remove. The confirmation dialog auto-selects one of three branches based on how the mode is currently used in your workspace.Simple — the mode isn't used anywhere
Simple — the mode isn't used anywhere
The dialog reads “This mode is not currently used by any spacecraft. This cannot be undone.” The footer carries Cancel and a destructive Delete button.Click Delete to remove the mode. A confirmation toast appears: “Attitude mode deleted”. The mode is removed from the workspace catalog and disappears from every mode picker.
Rewrite — the mode is scheduled in one or more upcoming transitions
Rewrite — the mode is scheduled in one or more upcoming transitions
When the mode you want to delete is referenced by at least one upcoming scheduled transition, the dialog shows:
- The affected transition count and spacecraft count, for example “This mode is used in 4 upcoming scheduled transitions across 2 spacecraft.”
- The follow-on statement that deleting will rewrite those transitions: “Deleting it will rewrite those transitions to each spacecraft’s current default mode. This cannot be undone.”
- A table listing each affected transition: the spacecraft name, the transition time, and the default mode the transition will rewrite to.
- A footer with Cancel and a destructive Delete and rewrite transitions button.
Inline-blocked — the mode is the default on one or more spacecraft
Inline-blocked — the mode is the default on one or more spacecraft
When the mode is configured as the default attitude mode on at least one spacecraft, the delete is blocked. The dialog shows:
- The inline message: “This mode is set as the default attitude mode on the following spacecraft. Change the default elsewhere before deleting.”
- A list of the spacecraft using this mode as their default.
- A footer with only a Close button — no Delete button is offered.
Error States
Three toasts surface when create, edit, or delete cannot complete. In every case the dialog stays open so you can retry without losing your edits.| Situation | Toast | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The mode was deleted by another session while your dialog was open (404 race). | ”This attitude mode no longer exists” | Close the dialog — the mode is gone from the catalog already. |
| Another session set the mode as a default after your deletion-impact preview loaded (422 race). | ”Cannot delete mode — it is the default for one or more spacecraft” | Close the dialog, reopen the library to refresh the impact preview, and either change the default on the affected spacecraft or pick a different mode to delete. |
| The server fails to save the create, edit, or delete — HTTP 5xx, network outage, or a generic 422 payload error. | ”Failed to save mode — please retry” | Your edits remain in the form — click the save button again to retry. |
Attitude modes overview
Concepts, body axes, target types, and the unified workspace catalog
Schedule attitude transitions
Plan time-anchored mode switches and override the default
Import and export AEM files
Exchange attitude ephemeris with external partners
Visualize quaternion and Euler angle plots
Inspect orientation over time on the operations dashboard