Intro
The International Space Station (ISS) uses multiple coordinate systems to represent its position, orientation, and internal geometry.
The ISS vehicle coordinate system is a 3D Cartesian coordinate system with an origin located near the center of the midship Integrated Truss Segment (ITS) S0.
For orbital operations and attitude control, the ISS uses an Earth-pointing LVLH (Local Vertical, Local Horizontal) reference frame.
ISS Reference Frame
The ISS body coordinate system defines a spacecraft-fixed frame used for:
- vehicle orientation
- payload operations
- onboard systems
- navigation and control
The frame is attached to the spacecraft and moves with the station.
Relationship to LVLH
The ISS uses an Earth-pointing LVLH frame to define its orbital attitude.
LVLH Frame
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└── ISS Earth-pointing orientation