NAIF

NAIF, or the Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility, is a NASA division located at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) responsible for developing and maintaining the SPICE system, a widely used data and software framework for space navigation, planning, and science data analysis. NAIF provides kernels and tools that describe spacecraft trajectories, orientations, instrument geometries, and planetary constants, enabling researchers to compute states and geometry for missions and observations.

The core of SPICE consists of kernel data files and a supporting toolkit. Kernels include SPK (ephemeris data for positions and velocities), CK (spacecraft orientation), PCK (planetary constants and models), EK (meta-data and processing information), and SCLK (spacecraft clock correlations). Frame and other auxiliary kernels supply additional frame transformations and time scales. The SPICE Toolkit, available in multiple programming languages, allows users to read kernels and perform computations to determine the position, velocity, and attitude of spacecraft and celestial bodies at any given time.

NAIF distributes kernels and the toolkit publicly to support transparency, reproducibility, and broad access for NASA mission teams and the planetary science community. Data and software are hosted through the NAIF website and are commonly used alongside NASA’s Planetary Data System (PDS) for archival and analysis purposes. NAIF collaborates with mission teams to ensure kernel accuracy and currency, adapting to evolving mission needs.

Overall, NAIF underpins mission planning, spacecraft navigation, data interpretation, and the broader dissemination of space science data. It provides essential resources that have become foundational to contemporary planetary exploration and observational campaigns. See SPICE for more.