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VALAR is a spacecraft mission planning and operations platform for satellite orbit management, maneuver planning, conjunction analysis, and ephemeris generation. This guide provides a detailed overview of the platform’s user-facing architecture and navigation patterns. The platform uses a dual-navigation layout designed for efficient spacecraft operations:

Left Sidebar

Primary vertical navigation with collapsible sections for main features

Top Header

Breadcrumbs, contextual tabs, and utility tools
Global Layout

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Responsive Behavior

  • Desktop: Persistent sidebar with collapse/expand functionality
  • Mobile: Drawer-style overlay that adapts to smaller screens
The sidebar is your mission control center, providing access to all platform capabilities.

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Primary Navigation Sections

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ORBITS

Track, determine, and visualize orbital data for your spacecraft fleet.
  • Tracking - View and manage orbit tracking measurements & sensors
  • State Vectors - Manage spacecraft state data (Table & Keplerian views)
  • Solutions - Orbit determination solutions & scheduling configurations
  • Ground Track - Visualize spacecraft ground track on Earth

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MANEUVERS

Plan and execute spacecraft maneuvers with precision.
  • Burn Plan - Manage maneuver execution plans
  • Planner - Plan and schedule future maneuvers (feature flag required)

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STM (Space Traffic Management)

Assess and manage collision risks (feature flag required).
  • Conjunctions - Collision risk assessment with High/Medium/Low classifications
Quick access to essential tools and preferences:
Spacecraft - Manage your spacecraft fleet
Support Menu - Docs, API Docs, Status page, Contact form
User Profile - Avatar, name, email with logout
Settings - Open configuration dialog
Theme Toggle - Switch between Light/Dark modes

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Command Palette

Your productivity accelerator for quick access to platform actions and navigation. Trigger: ⌘K / Ctrl+K or pen button in sidebar header. Command

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Quick Access Actions

The command palette provides instant access to common operations:
  • State Vectors
  • Burn Plan
  • Measurements
  • Spacecraft
  • New Maneuver
  • Orbit Determination
  • Ephemerides
  • Settings
  • Cheatsheet
  • Process Monitor

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Cheatsheet (Spacecraft Quick Reference)

A comprehensive modal displaying critical spacecraft data in a 3-column grid layout. Access: BookMarked icon in header: Cheatsheet

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Cheatsheet Sections

TLE (Two-Line Element)

Copyable orbital elements (spans 2 columns)

Critical Conjunctions

High/Medium/Low risk events with TCA and miss distance

State Vector

Current orbital state with Keplerian & Cartesian tabs

Maneuvers

Upcoming burns with Delta-V values

Subsatellite Point

Current latitude/longitude

Mass & Propellant

Current mass with time-ago indicator & propellant percentage
Top Feature: Spacecraft selector dropdown with color-coded status indicators

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Settings (Configuration Dialog)

Customize your platform experience with comprehensive configuration options. Access: Settings button in sidebar footer OR Command Palette: Settings

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Organization

  • Profile - Name, email, username, password (Auth0 integration)
  • Members - Invite and manage organization members

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Header Components

The header provides contextual navigation and real-time information.

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Left Section

Sidebar menu - Sidebar toggle Breadcrumb navigation - Home → Page hierarchy

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Center Section: Contextual Tabs

Dynamic tabs that change based on the current page:
PageAvailable Tabs
Solutions”Solutions” | “Configs”
Tracking”Measurements” | “Sensors”
State Vectors”Table” | “Keplerian Elements”

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Right Section: Utility Tools

Process Status - Real-time monitoring of async operations (15s polling)
UTC Clock - Live time display
Cheatsheet - Quick reference button

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Key User-Facing Features

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Modals & Dialogs

The platform uses modals for focused workflows:
  • Import Dialogs: OEM files, burn plans, measurements
  • Form Dialogs: Add/edit spacecraft, thrusters, ground stations, maneuvers
  • Export Dialogs: Generate ephemerides (OEM format)
  • Special Dialogs: Covariance matrix viewer, burn details, support form

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Real-time Features

Stay informed with live updates:
  • Push notifications - Instant alerts for critical events
  • Process monitoring - Background job status updates (15s intervals)
  • Live UTC clock - Always know the current time

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Theme System

Light - Bright mode
Dark - Reduced eye strain
Theme preference persists across sessions and is accessible via the sidebar footer toggle.

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Main Routes Structure

Default route: / redirects to /orbits/measurements/data

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Complete Route Map

  • /orbits/measurements/data - Measurements
  • /orbits/measurements/sensors - Sensor configuration
  • /orbits/solutions - OD solutions
  • /orbits/solutions/schedules - OD scheduling
  • /orbits/ground-track - Ground track map
  • /state-vectors - State vector table
  • /state-vectors/keplerian-elements - Keplerian view
  • /maneuvers/burn-plan - Burn execution
  • /maneuvers/planner - Maneuver planning
  • /conjunctions - Conjunction analysis
  • /spacecraft - Fleet overview
  • /spacecraft/new - Add spacecraft
  • /api-docs - API documentation

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Next Steps

Now that you understand the platform architecture:

Core Concepts

Learn fundamental spacecraft operations concepts

Data Model

Understand how orbital data is structured

Quick Start Guide

Get started with your first spacecraft

Spacecraft Management

Manage your spacecraft fleet