vocabulary:
  title: SpaceX API Vocabulary
  description: >-
    Domain vocabulary for the SpaceX API — an open-source REST API providing data on
    SpaceX launches, rockets, capsules, cores, crew, launchpads, landing pads, payloads,
    ships, and the Starlink satellite constellation.
  version: "1.0.0"
  created: "2026-05-02"
  modified: "2026-05-02"

terms:
  - term: Launch
    definition: >-
      A SpaceX mission event including all metadata: the rocket used, launchpad, payload
      manifest, crew assignments, booster core details, links to media, and the outcome
      (success/failure). Identified by a sequential flight_number and MongoDB ObjectId.
    tags:
      - Core Concept

  - term: Flight Number
    definition: >-
      A sequential integer assigned to each SpaceX launch in chronological order.
      Not to be confused with the mission's id (MongoDB ObjectId).
    tags:
      - Metadata

  - term: Core
    definition: >-
      A SpaceX first-stage booster unit. Cores are identified by serial numbers (e.g., B1061)
      and tracked through multiple reuse flights. The API records RTLS (Return to Launch Site)
      and ASDS (drone ship) landing attempts and successes per core.
    tags:
      - Vehicle
      - Reusability

  - term: ASDS (Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship)
    definition: >-
      An uncrewed platform ship used by SpaceX to land Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy booster
      cores at sea when the trajectory does not allow return to the launch site.
      Named vessels include Of Course I Still Love You and A Shortfall of Gravitas.
    tags:
      - Landing
      - Fleet

  - term: RTLS (Return to Launch Site)
    definition: >-
      A landing mode where the Falcon 9 booster flies back to land near the launch site
      at Landing Zone 1 or Landing Zone 2 at Cape Canaveral, used for light-payload missions.
    tags:
      - Landing

  - term: Capsule
    definition: >-
      A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft unit, identified by a serial number (e.g., C201).
      Dragon capsules are reusable and tracked through multiple crew and cargo flights.
    tags:
      - Vehicle
      - Reusability

  - term: Launchpad
    definition: >-
      A SpaceX launch site, such as Kennedy Space Center LC-39A (KSC LC 39A) or
      Cape Canaveral SLC-40. The API records launch attempts and successes per pad.
    tags:
      - Facility

  - term: Landpad
    definition: >-
      A SpaceX landing target for booster recovery, including ground-based pads (RTLS)
      and autonomous drone ships (ASDS). The API records landing attempts and successes.
    tags:
      - Facility

  - term: Starlink
    definition: >-
      SpaceX's low-Earth-orbit satellite internet constellation. The API tracks individual
      satellites with orbital parameters (TLE data) from Space-Track.org.
    tags:
      - Constellation
      - Satellite

  - term: date_precision
    definition: >-
      A field indicating how precise a launch date is. Values include hour, day, month,
      quarter, year, and half (half-year). Upcoming launches often have lower precision
      until the date is confirmed.
    tags:
      - Metadata

  - term: Roadster
    definition: >-
      Elon Musk's personal Tesla Roadster, launched into a heliocentric orbit aboard
      the first Falcon Heavy test flight in February 2018. The SpaceX API provides
      real-time orbital tracking data including distance from Earth and Mars.
    tags:
      - Tracking

  - term: net
    definition: >-
      "No Earlier Than" — a boolean flag indicating that a launch date is a minimum
      boundary estimate rather than a confirmed time. Often used for early mission planning.
    tags:
      - Metadata

  - term: tbd
    definition: >-
      "To Be Determined" — a boolean flag indicating launch date or other mission details
      have not yet been confirmed.
    tags:
      - Metadata

  - term: Payload
    definition: >-
      A SpaceX payload entry describing what was carried to orbit on a given mission,
      including satellite constellations, ISS cargo, crew vehicles, and experimental payloads.
      Includes customer, orbit, mass, and manufacturer details.
    tags:
      - Mission Data