Satellite - an object in space that orbits
or circles around a bigger object.
There are two kinds of satellites:
• natural (such as the moon orbiting
the Earth) or
• artificial (such as the International
Space Station orbiting the Earth).
MAJOR TYPES
OF
ARTIFICIAL SATELLITES
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•2
•3
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1.
• Weather Satellite - is a type of satellite that is
primarily used to monitor the weather and
climate of the Earth.
NOAA ( National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration ) SATELLITE
NIMBUS SATELLITE
The Nimbus satellites were
second-generation U.S. robotic
spacecraft used for
meteorological research and
development. The spacecraft
were designed to serve as
stabilized, Earth-oriented
platforms for the testing of
advanced systems to sense and
collect atmospheric science
data.
2.
• satellite navigation or satnav system is a system that
uses satellites to provide autonomous geo-spatial
positioning.
• It allows small electronic receivers to determine their
location to high precision using time signals
transmitted along a line of sight by radio from
satellites
The first satellite navigation
system, Transit, used by the
United States Navy, was tested
in 1960. It used a constellation
of five satellites and could
provide a navigational fix
approximately once per hour.
-Global navigation satellite systems-
Galileo became operational on 15 December 2016 (global Early Operational Capability
(EOC)). The first experimental satellite was launched on 28 December 2005.
Galileo is expected to be compatible with the modernized GPS system. The receivers will
be able to combine the signals from both Galileo and GPS satellites to greatly increase the
accuracy. Galileo is expected to be in full service in 2020 .
BeiDou-2
China has indicated their plan to complete the entire second generation
Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS or BeiDou-2, formerly known as
COMPASS), by expanding current regional (Asia-Pacific) service into
global coverage by 2020.[1] The BeiDou-2 system is proposed to consist
of 30 MEO satellites and five geostationary satellites. A 16-satellite
regional version (covering Asia and Pacific area) was completed by
December 2012.
•4
Military satellite is an artificial satellite used for a military purpose.
The most common missions are intelligence gathering, navigation and military
communications. The first military satellites were photographic reconnaissance
missions.
By 2013 there were 950 satellites of different types in Earth's orbit. The total
number of military satellites in the world is approximated at 320 with some
countries owning several while others having none. The US accounts for nearly
half of all the military satellites in space
Early warning systems
• A number of nations have developed satellite based early warning systems
designed to detect ICBMs during different flight phases. In the United States
these satellites are operated by the Defense Support Program (DSP).
• The first launch of a DSP satellite was on 6 November 1970 with the 23rd and last
launched 10 November 2007. This program has been superseded by the Space-
Based Infrared System (SBIRS).
Satellite weapons
• In the United States, research into satellite based weapons was initiated by
President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1950s. In 1958, the United States initiated
Project Defender to develop an anti-ICBM solution launched from satellites.
• The satellites would have deployed a huge wire mesh to disable ICBMs during
their early launch phase. The project floundered due to the lack of any mechanism
to protect the satellites from attack resulting in the cancellation of Defender in
1968.