Types of Satellites will be discussed in this article. In our day-to-day lives, satellites play a crucial function. They were first employed as a covert gadget for espionage and other covert military operations. They moved into digital communication domains that have an influence on our daily lives as commercialization increased.
Satellite offers a variety of services, including global television broadcasting, remote phone calls, community radio, weather forecasts, news reporting, Ola/Uber taxi hailing, geo-mapping, vehicle tracking, and more. Many business models have been developed to capitalize on the promise of satellite services. Let us look at the characteristics of satellites and the many types of satellites in this post.
What is the definition of a satellite?
The Sun, Planets, and Moons make up the Solar System (Natural satellites). The Sun is one of the billions of stars that make up the Milky Way Galaxy. The Milky Way is one of billions of galaxies that make up the cosmos. A satellite is an object that revolves around another larger object in space. The course of this orbit might be circular or elliptical. The larger item contains all of the smaller objects that revolve around it and provides them with life, light, heat, and energy.
- Natural Satellite
Natural satellites are planets that circle the Sun, such as Earth, Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn, Neptune, and Mars. The Sun is in charge of the entire solar system; it occupies the central important position and supplies all of the planets’ resources. Titan, Ganymede, Callisto, Rhea, Miranda, and the Moons circling Planets all fall within this group of natural satellites. In the solar system, there are around 240 such moons circling Planets, Dwarf Planets, and other solar system entities.
- Man-Made Satellite
These satellites are manufactured and deployed in space with specialized purposes, circling Earth or other planets. An international space station is a habitable satellite in orbit that was developed by five collaborating space agencies between 1998 and 2011, including NASA (USA), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), Roscosmos (Russia), and CSA (Canada), and visited by 230 astronauts from 18 nations. This space station provides a platform for performing space research and evaluating potential lunar and Mars missions.
Natural satellites are referred to as moons, whereas artificial satellites are referred to as satellites, and we will focus on Artificial Satellite for the remainder of this article.
Satellites in History
The first satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched by Russia in 1957. A total of 8900 satellites from 40 countries were launched as a result of this. Around 5000 of them are still in orbit, 1500 of them are operational, while the rest have reached the end of their useful lives and are drifting across space as garbage. So date, India has launched around 100 satellites.
Depending on the purposes, these satellites are put in space at various altitudes and towards various planets. 63 percent of currently functioning satellites are in a low orbit level (2000 km), 6% in a medium orbit level (20000 km), 20% in a geostationary orbit level (36000 km), and the remaining 2% in an elliptic orbit level (> 36000 km).
Satellites of Various Types
Satellites are classed according to their uses and the orbit in which they are orbited. Altitude, Inclination with respect to the equatorial plane, Eccentricity, Synchronization parameters, Planet Centered, Pseudo orbit, and others are used to classify orbits. Satellites are classified into several categories based on their intended use.
Satellite Applications
The following are some of the applications:
Military Satellites: A satellite is neither military nor commercial in and of itself, and its classification is determined by the purpose for which it is deployed. Military satellites are used to spy on, survey, and track the enemy’s space objects. They scan the space for the enemy’s item and transmit photographs and other data to the host country.
Weather forecasting: Satellite image feeds of the Earth assist to monitor climatic conditions on the ground, predict extreme weather events such as storms, hurricanes, and cyclones, and successfully handle catastrophes.
Direct Delivery to Your Residence (DTH) Telecasting and Radio: Live TV shows may be obtained through satellite without the usage of any cable. Transponders receive a fixed-frequency signal from the broadcaster and transmit it to each of our homes on a distinct frequency. Radio follows the same principle, with programming broadcasting from all corners of the globe.
Navigation: Satellites track and record the whereabouts of each object on the planet, allowing us to link automobiles, employees, and everything else to their owners.
Wireless telephone contact with anyone in any distant part of the globe is possible thanks to satellite, and it works in all weather.
Industry was able to expedite business transformation because to satellite communication. Satellite technology is being used to create new mobile applications that link all stakeholders to the business.
