Satellite Communication

In this writing, we are going to discuss satellites in Telecommunication, the types of satellite,s and their orbit. A satellite is a moon, planet, or machine that orbits a planet or star. 

But in the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object that has been intentionally placed into orbit. These satellites are artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites like Earth's moon.

So for Communication, we can define Satellite as,

An artificial body placed in orbit round the earth or moon or another planet in order to collect information or for communication is called Satellite.

Types of Satellite

There are two different types of satellites.

        1. Natural Satellite

        2. Artificial Satellite or Man-Made

The natural Satellites are the Earth and Moon. The Earth revolves around the Sun and the Moon revolves around the Earth. These are examples of natural satellites. 

An Artificial Satellite is an object that is made by people to launch into orbit using rockets. Example: International Space Station.

On 4 October 1957, the former Soviet Union launched the world's first artificial satellite named Sputnik 1 

Satellite Orbit

An orbit is a regular, repeating path that one object in space takes around another one. An object in an orbit is called a satellite.

so satellite orbits can define as, 

The path along which satellite moves in the space around earth are called orbits.

According to Kepler's law, a Satellite's Orbit is an ellipse in which the Earth is located at one of its focuses.

A satellite can move in three types of orbits. They are

    1. Synchronous Orbit

    2. Polar Orbit

   3. Inclined Orbit


Satellite Orbits can be classified depending on the shape and diameter of the Orbit

        1. Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

        2. Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)

        3. Geostationary Orbit (GEO)


Communication Satellite

A communication satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio, television and phones telecommunication signals via a transponder.

 It creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth.

A communication satellite is an artificial satellite that builds to relay multiple signals simultaneously. In most cases, there is a separate transponder for each carrier. This is typical of broadcasting satellites that are used for distributing signals to terrestrial broadcasting stations.

Communication satellites are used for television, radio, telephone, internet, and military application. 

At the time there are over 2,224 communication satellites revolving around the Earth. These satellites are used by both private and government organizations.


Advantages of the satellite over terrestrial Communication

  • The coverage area of a satellite is extremely large.
  • The transmission cost of a satellite is independent of the distance from the center of the coverage area. while the terrestrial network charges are proportional to the distance from the point of the source.
  • Satellite to-satellite communication is very precise.
  • Higher Bandwidths are available to use.
  • Idle for broadcasting as it can distribute signals from one end to many locations.


Disadvantages of Satellite

  • Launching a satellite into earth orbit is costly
  • Satellite bandwidth is steadily becoming used up.
  • There is a longer propagation delay in communication satellites than in terrestrial.
  • The present communication satellite lifespan is limited to 10 to 15 years only. That means after that time the satellite needs to replace.

Major complications for satellite

  • Positioning in Orbit
  • Stability
  • Power
  • Harsh Environment


Application of Satellite

Artificial or Man-Made satellites are launched into space for any purpose. Such as

  • Astronomy
  • Weather Forecasting
  • Navigation
  • Television Broadcasting
  • Satellite Internet
  • Satellite Radio
  • Military purpose (Communication, Spying on the enemy, Nuclear Arsenal)