The Constellation (
) object allows you to group objects together for use in other analysis tools in STK, such as Coverage and Chains. Constellation objects can be used to group satellite constellations, ground station networks, groups of targets, and/or multiple sensors. Different object types can be added to a single constellation allowing you to represent that group as a single asset in other computational tools. In addition, the Constellation object allows for constraints and a routing file that determine the criteria as to how the Constellation is used in Chain computations.
For example, by adding the "At Least N" constraint, you can determine when a ground vehicle has access to at least four satellites in the Global Positioning System (GPS) constellation.
Constellation Object Menu
The constellation object menu appears in the menu bar when a constellation object is selected. The same menu items that appear in the constellation object menu can be accessed by right clicking the constellation object in the Object Browser and selecting Constellation from the pop-up menu. The constellation object menu contains the following items:
| Menu Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Hide Graphics of Constellation Objects | Hides all graphics associated with the selected constellation in the 2D and 3D Graphics Windows. |
| Show Graphics of Constellation Objects | Displays all graphics associated with the selected constellation in the 2D and 3D Graphics Windows. |
Inserting, Saving, and Removing Objects in a Constellation
When you insert a previously defined chain or constellation into a scenario, the subobjects are automatically inserted into the scenario if they are located in the same directory as the chain or constellation object. If the objects are already included in the scenario, they are not reinserted.