Related topics: nasa , launch , space
Satellite
hideIn the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavor. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon.
The first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. By 2009 thousands of satellites have been launched into orbit around the Earth. These originate from more than 50 countries and have used the satellite launching capabilities of ten nations. A few hundred satellites are currently operational, whereas thousands of unused satellites and satellite fragments orbit the Earth as space debris. A few space probes have been placed into orbit around other bodies and become artificial satellites to the Moon, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
Satellites are used for a large number of purposes. Common types include military (spy) and civilian Earth observation satellites, communication satellites, navigation satellites, weather satellites, and research satellites. Space stations and human spacecraft in orbit are also satellites. Satellite orbits vary greatly, depending on the purpose of the satellite, and are classified in a number of ways. Well-known (overlapping) classes include low Earth orbit, polar orbit, and geostationary orbit.
Satellites are usually semi-independent computer controlled systems. Satellite subsystems attend many tasks, such as power generation, thermal control, telemetry, attitude control and orbit control.
For more information about Satellite, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with satellite
Russian rocket to launch from French Guiana in 2010
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 07, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (5) |
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A Russian rocket will next year for the first time blast off from a European launch pad in South America, officials said Saturday, as the first rockets headed for the site on board a ship.
Hylas payload shipped to India
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 06, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Hylas, a flexible, broadband Ka-band satellite, is steadily moving towards completion. The communications payload has been shipped from England to India for integration with the platform, ...
In a Galaxy Far, Far Away...
Nov 06, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (5) |
15
(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers have published the discovery of the farthest known object in the cosmos: a star that exploded when the universe was only 630 million years old -- only 4.6% of its current age. ...
GPS to track blue sheep and snow leopard
Nov 06, 2009 |
3 / 5 (2) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists hope to improve the survival odds of the endangered snow leopard in Nepal by venturing into the remote Himalayas to study its main prey, the Bharal or blue sheep.
DirecTV shows subscriber gains, as rivals see loss
Nov 05, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Satellite TV operator DirecTV Group Inc. was one of the few pay-TV companies to attract new subscribers in the third quarter, as it reported revenue growth of 10 percent that was partly offset by higher costs to attract ...
NRL sensor provides critical space weather observations
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 03, 2009 |
not rated yet |
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Launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., aboard an United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle, Oct. 18, 2009, the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Limb Imager (SSULI) developed by NRL's Space Science ...
SMOS, Proba-2: Two new ESA satellites successfully lofted into orbit (w/ Video)
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 02, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (3) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The second satellite in ESA's Earth Explorer series - the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission - and the second demonstration satellite under ESA's Project for Onboard Autonomy ...
Typhoon Mirinae already raining on the Philippines
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 30, 2009 |
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Infrared imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite revealed that Typhoon Mirinae's cold thunderstorm clouds were already over sections of the central and northern Philippines on October 30 at 4:53 p.m. (Asia/Manila) ...
Ariane 5 rocket places two satellites into orbit (w/ Video)
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Oct 30, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Last night, an Ariane 5 ECA launcher lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on a journey to place two telecommunications satellites, NSS-12 and Thor 6, into geostationary transfer ...
New Celestial Map Gives Directions for GPS
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Oct 29, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (4) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Many of us have been rescued from unfamiliar territory by directions from a Global Positioning System (GPS) navigator. GPS satellites send signals to a receiver in your GPS navigator, which ...
Mirinae intensifying while moving away from the northern Marianas
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 28, 2009 |
not rated yet |
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Typhoon Mirinae is moving west and away from the Northern Marianas Islands on a track to a landfall in the Philippines by the weekend. As Mirinae has moved west, NASA's infrared and microwave satellite imagery ...
Blast from the Past Gives Clues About Early Universe
Oct 28, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (9) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers using the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope have gained tantalizing insights into the nature of the most distant object ever observed in the ...
SMOS and Proba-2 satellites installed in launch tower
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Oct 28, 2009 |
not rated yet |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In readiness for launch on 2 November, ESA’s SMOS and Proba-2 satellites - encapsulated in the launcher fairing - have been transported from the cleanroom and installed in the launch tower ...
Google unveils free GPS navigation for mobile phones
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Oct 28, 2009 |
3.8 / 5 (5) |
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Google unveiled a free navigation system for mobile phones on Wednesday in a move seen as a potential challenge to the makers of GPS navigation devices.
Microwave satellite imagery shows an eye developing in Mirinae
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 27, 2009 |
1 / 5 (1) |
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Microwave satellite imagery has revealed that Tropical Storm Mirinae is strengthening enough to develop an eye, and that's what it's doing. Mirinae was formerly Tropical Depression 23W, but became a tropical ...
