In navigation, a state vector is a set of data describing exactly where an object is located in space, and how it is moving. Mathematical representation A state vector typically will contain seven elements: three position coordinates, three velocity terms, and the time at which these values were valid. Mathematically, in order to describe positions in a N-dimensional space () then a state vector belongs to : or simply where is the position vector and is the velocity vector. Since there is freedom to choose coordinate systems for position, a state vector may also be expressed in a variety of coordinate systems (e.g. the North east down coordinate system). See also Orbital state vectors Navigation