Compare
Caelex vs. spreadsheet-based compliance tracking
A spreadsheet is the cheapest way to start tracking space compliance — and the fastest thing to outgrow once you cross three articles, two jurisdictions, or one regulator deadline.
Most pre-Series-A space operators begin with an Excel or Google Sheet tracking the regulations they think apply. That works for a while. It breaks down at the first serious audit — when evidence has to be produced with provenance, when a regulator asks for a document that was never versioned, or when a mission phase changes and the entire matrix has to be re-run. Caelex is the system of record that replaces the sheet before the sheet costs you a licence.
When each approach makes sense
spreadsheet-based compliance tracking — when it’s still the right choice
The spreadsheet is the right choice when you are pre-launch, have one product line, one jurisdiction, and a founder who still reads every article herself. Migration cost is zero, learning curve is zero, and there are no recurring fees. For a two-person team preparing its first authorization, this is genuinely the right tool.
Caelex — when it’s the right choice
Caelex starts making sense the moment you have (a) more than one jurisdiction to reconcile, (b) an authorization in flight that requires document evidence with chain of custody, (c) continuous reporting obligations (e.g. under NIS2 or the EU Space Act), or (d) more than one person who needs to update the same data. After that point, the spreadsheet has started to cost you more than the alternative — the question is just whether you feel it yet.
Dimension-by-dimension
| Dimension | Caelex | spreadsheet-based compliance tracking |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-jurisdiction reconciliation | Each regulation cross-links to the articles of every other applicable regime (EU Space Act ↔ SatDSiG ↔ COPUOS ↔ ITU). One query, one answer. | Each jurisdiction is typically a separate tab or file. Cross-references are maintained by hand. Drift between tabs is near-inevitable after six months. |
| Evidence with provenance | Every document has an audit trail (who uploaded, when, against which article). SHA-256 hash chain makes the log tamper-evident. | File name + a column saying 'uploaded by X on date Y'. Trusted but unverifiable; auditors increasingly ask for cryptographic integrity proof. |
| Regulation-change handling | Regulatory feed pulls new versions automatically; diffs surface the articles that moved; impacted compliance state is flagged. | Someone has to notice the amendment, manually update the cells, and cascade the implications. In practice, spreadsheets lag regulation changes by months. |
| NIS2 / incident reporting | Structured 24h/72h/1-month reporting workflow routed to the correct national CSIRT. Timestamps preserved in the audit log. | Ad-hoc. The 24-hour clock starts during an incident — the worst possible moment to invent a workflow on a Friday evening. |
| Multi-user collaboration | Role-based access (Owner, Admin, Manager, Member, Viewer) with org-wide audit log. | Comment-and-cell-lock. Two people editing different tabs routinely produce silent divergences. |
| Deadline tracking | Every article deadline surfaced on the timeline with email + in-app reminders, per user. | Deadline column sorted manually. Notifications require a separate calendar and consistent maintenance. |
| Pricing | Free compliance assessment, paid tiers from there. | Free (and, if this is the entire compliance stack, possibly expensive later). |
Migrating from spreadsheet-based compliance tracking
Most teams migrate their spreadsheet into Caelex during the run-up to their first authorization submission. The free assessment at caelex.eu/assessment takes the operator profile and produces the first version of what used to be the spreadsheet — usually in under 10 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I start with a spreadsheet and migrate to Caelex later?
Yes. Most customers do exactly that. The free assessment (caelex.eu/assessment) takes your operator profile and produces a first-pass compliance view you can compare against your sheet. From there, paid tiers unlock document tracking, NIS2 reporting, continuous monitoring, and the AI copilot.
What specifically goes wrong with spreadsheet compliance?
Three failure modes recur: (1) multi-jurisdiction reconciliation drifts, (2) evidence provenance is weak when a regulator audits, (3) regulatory changes aren't caught in time. Spreadsheets are fine for pre-launch; they become expensive during the authorization cycle and unbearable during recurring NIS2 / EU Space Act obligations.
How long does migration typically take?
For a single-jurisdiction pre-launch operator, onboarding is usually within a week. For multi-jurisdiction operators with live evidence archives, 2-4 weeks depending on how the evidence is currently organised.
Try Caelex
Run the free compliance assessment in a few minutes, or book a personalised demo.