What is a Satellite?

A satellite can be defined as any object, either manmade or naturally occurring,

that orbits around something else.
For example, the moon (only natural satellite of earth) orbits around Earth and is thus a
satellite. The Earth orbits around the sun and is a satellite of the sun. Other examples of
naturally occurring satellites include comets, stars, asteroids, and other planets.
The Suns satellites are all the planets which revolve around the sun.

Earth - Satellite of the Sun

Two Types of Satellite Orbits

Synchronous Orbits
Geosynchronous (GEO)

Asynchronous Orbits
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)

Synchronous Orbits
Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) is where the satellite sits directly over the equator, about
35,775 km (approx. 22,200 miles) above Earth. The satellite is always positioned over the same
spot on earth. I.e. Geostationary of Geosynchronous

It will rotate in the same direction and at the same speed as our planet, so
always appears to be in the same place in the sky.

Asynchronous Orbits
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is commonly described as the region between about 200 and 2,000
km (approx. 100 - 1200 miles). Most artificial Earth satellites are placed in LEO, where they
travel at about 27,000 km/h (8 km/s), making one revolution in about 90 minutes. Different
orbits are used for different applications, e.g. LEO satellites are used for mapping,
photography, search & rescue, and some scientific missions such as the Hubble Space
Telescope look out into space from LEO.
Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) has many definitions but is essentially the region above LEO
(2,000 km) to about 34,000 km (1,000 km below GEO which is approx. 35,000 km). This
region is used for the Global Positioning System (GPS) and cellular phone service.

These satellite pass over head at different times of the day.

I.e. LEO - requires many satellites to cover all the earth.
MEO - requires a handful of satellites to cover all the earth.
Includes LEO, MEO, elliptical and polar orbit satellites.

Typical Satellite Orbits

Elliptical
Orbit

Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

Geosynchronous (Geostationary) Earth Orbit
(GEO)

Polar Orbit
Elliptical Orbit

A geosychronous satellite must orbit the earth over the equator and as a result there are only a
limited numbers of slots for satellites.
To date (and for the foreseeable future) satellite communications is the biggest and virtually only
money-making business in space.

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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Research
Communications
Weather
Navigational
Application

Research Satellites
Designed to study radiation from the sun, light and radio emissions from the
earths atmosphere. E.g. Hubble Space Telescope (HST).

Provide a worldwide linkup of voice, radio, telephone, data, and television,

including the direct broadcast satellite (DBS) of television. Stations on the
ground, called earth stations, transmit signals to the satellite, which then relays
the signal to other earth stations

In satellite telecommunication, an up-link is

the link from the ground station up to a
satellite.

A down-link is the link from a satellite

down to one or more ground stations or
receivers.

The satellite footprint (or satellite coverage

area) is the area where the satellite service
can be provided.

Satellite Footprint

EchoStar 3

The footprint of a communications satellite is the ground area that is able to

receive a particular satellite's signal.

Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) Providers

USA

Satellite Radio Providers

Canada

Weather (Meteorological) Satellites

Provide continuous, up-to-date information about large-scale atmospheric
conditions such as cloud cover and temperature profiles.

Navigational Satellites
The most famous is the Global Positioning System (GPS) which actually is a constellation
of 24 medium earth orbiting (MEO) satellites (4 satellites in each of 6 orbits).

They are about 12,000 miles (19,300km) above us and are travelling at speeds of roughly
7,000 miles per hour. They are continually in motion as the Earth is rotating.
The orbits are arranged so that at any time, anywhere on earth, there are at least four
satellites visible in the sky.

These satellites transmit precise microwave signals travelling at the speed of light
(about 186,000 miles per hour, 300,000 km per second) which enables the receiver to
determine its location, speed, direction, and time.
The receiver can figure how far the signal has traveled by timing how long it took the
signal to arrive.
The GPS receiver calculates the distance to GPS satellites by timing a signals journey
from the satellite to the receiver.
Once the receiver makes this calculation, it can tell you the latitude, longitude, and
altitude of its current position with great accuracy.
The receiver can give you information such as;
how far youve traveled
how long youve been travelling
your current speed
trace your path across a map as you move.
estimate the time of arrival based on your current speed.

The GPS has secured its place as one of the most revolutionary inventions of all time.

Application Satellites
Used for military purposes, search & rescue, photography, and reconnaissance (spy) satellites.

They are designed to test ways of improving satellite technology.

Areas of concern include structure, instrumentation, controls, power supplies, and
telemetry for future communications, meteorological, and navigational satellites.

Hope you enjoyed the show

and learned something
along the way!