Sattelitter Technology: Evolution, Types, Benefits, and Challenges

When we look up at the sky, all we can see are stars, the sun, and the moon. What we can not see with our naked eyes are the invisible machines that circle our planet. These are called Satteliter, which make tracking GPS, telecasting live matches, and connecting overseas possible. 

We have dug down to explain more about satelliter, their origin, how far satellites have come from Sputnik 1 in 1957 to today, and their contribution to modern living. Read this blog to gain knowledge about the topic!

What is a Sattelitter?

Sattelitter is commonly referred to as an object that circles another object. Like the moon orbits around the Earth, making it Earth’s natural satellite. Similarly, man-made satellites are installed in space to orbit around and serve various purposes like research, surveillance, navigation, and communication. 

These Sattelitters are not just simple machines, they are expert: 

• Data Collectors: They monitor the weather, agriculture, climate, and disasters and report early on. 
• Signal Reflectors: They help transmit signals to television, radio, the internet, and phone communication. 
• Security Guards: They look over the area and report on danger. This surveillance helps the defense system to make proper strategies. 

Thus, you can say that sattelitters are a small part of a constellation, but the only difference is that they do not move on a fixed orbit, plus, they are more agile and built on advanced technology. 

Now that you’re introduced to what sattelitters are, let’s go ahead and understand their evolution in the next section. 

The Evolution of Sattelitters 

The story of satellites came to light after humanity’s quest for innovation and conquering space. The motto was to study space physics, innovate new ways for communication, and observe Earth for the climate crisis. 

During the 1950s, every country started inventing satellites, and the first successfully launched satellite was Sputnik 1 by the Soviet Union, which was a simple metallic machine with 58 cm in diameter. Sputnik 1 was sent to space on October 4, 1957, when the new era of modern satellite began. 

Following that, Explorer 1 was launched by the United States in 1958, which opened new doors for meteorology and space science for the world. 

During the 1970s–1980s, these machines improved weather forecasting and navigation through GPS. TV, internet, and mobile networks were transformed with the help of sattelitters during the 1990s and 2000s. 

Talking about the current time, the space tech companies like SpaceX, OneWeb, and Amazon are working on developing mega-satellites to enforce high-speed internet globally.

Types of Sattelitters and Their Use 

Every satellite is designed to serve various purposes and comes in various shapes and forms. Mentioned below are the primary types of satellites and their functions:

• Communication Satellites: These machines are installed in the geostationary orbits to enable broadcasting, TV, internet, and phone communication globally. They are the sole reason why live TV, international calls, and internet access are possible even in rural areas. 

• Earth-Observing Satellites: These machines are built with cameras and sensors to track the movement of the Earth and other planets. These are useful in monitoring deforestation, glaciers, and crop yields to protect the environment. 

• Navigation Satellites: Wonder how your GPS navigation works or how the aeroplanes track the route in the air? It’s all because of navigation satellites. These machines help in detecting the pathway on the earth and fuel the GPS navigation systems. 

• Military Satellites: These types of satellites are used by the nation’s defense systems to track missiles, forecast wars, and improve communication. The global security and defense strategies are usually powered by military satellites. 

• Weather Satellites: These satellites are crucial for weather forecasting, like hurricanes, earthquakes, cycles, and wildlife in every part of the earth. The early warning helps the weather department to save lives and reduce economic distress. 

• Scientific Satellites: These are the types of satellites that help in discovering ground-breaking facts about galaxies, physics, and astronomy. They are like a telescope to measure the radiation, magnetic fields, the ocean, and distance in space.

Where Do the Satellites Operate in Space?

Satellites are developed and properly installed in a particular region in space. So they don’t just float randomly but follow a path or orbit to serve their purpose of development. 

These are the primary orbits where the satellites are installed: 

Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

LEO is 160 to 2,000 kilometres above the Earth. Since they are close to the planet, they move fast, circling the Earth in 90–120 minutes and can provide a high-resolution view and strong connectivity. 

The main objective of the satellites here is to observe Earth closely for weather forecasting and provide images, navigate constellations, and improve GPS connections. 

Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)

The altitude for MEO is 2,000 to 35,000 km above the Earth’s surface. The satellites placed here do not move as fast as LEO but cover a larger region. The time taken to circle the planet is around 2–24 hours, and because of more coverage, they offer broader connectivity and range. 

GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo are the navigation systems that follow the MEO range. Moreover, MEO satellites can move to Geostationary orbits for adjustments in coverage areas.   

Geostationary Orbit (GEO)

Geostationary orbit is considered at 35,786 kilometres above Earth. The satellites here circle at the same speed as the Earth and are mounted at a single spot for continuous coverage of a region.  

The major applications are weather satellites, television broadcasting, and long-distance communication. 

Polar Orbit 

Polar orbit is 500 to 1,000 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. The satellites mounted here move through the North Pole and South Pole and scan the regions strip by strip. They capture images of every location of the planet, which is helpful in studying changes in forests, ice caps, and the monitory climate. 

These orbits combined form the layered satellite’s orbital ecosystem. Thus, no matter whether you are in a city, rural area, or arctic region, you are always monitored and connected. 

Benefits of Sattelitter Technology

Each part of the satellite is carefully designed by the engineers, assembled in labs, and tested rigorously to serve the purpose of development. Since the launch of the first one to date, satellites have changed the world for the better. 

Here are the powerful benefits of sattelitter technology: 

• Reduced Expenses: Microsatellites are effective in reaching space multiple times without incurring heavy costs.  
• Flexibility: Sattelitter technology allows designing agile models that automatically get upgraded and adapt according to the planet. 
• Eco-Friendly Operations: The new technology has brought new ways to decrease production waste and pre-install deorbiting systems to reduce space junk in case of mission failure. 
• Broader Connectivity: Rural and marginalized areas obtain dependable internet access, which is supported by sattelitter technology. 
• Building Intelligent Machines: AI-driven satellites can make choices instantly without relying on commands from the ground, and forecast dangers and fix signals automatically. 

Sattelitter technology is the driving force behind building the new age space machines that are smart to operate and orbit seamlessly. 

The Challenges of Satellite Technology 

There’s no doubt that satellites have improved modern living drastically; however, it is important to point out the challenges this technology comes with. 

• Destructed satellites create junk and often cause collisions in orbit, which can be threatening. 
• The hackers targeting satellite technology can disrupt the communication and security of an entire region. 
• The space tech still does not have international agreements, and the spectrum allocations are quite complex. 
• The higher cost of developing new systems and innovating better designs always becomes a barrier for many nations worldwide. 
• The growing number of satellites can clutter the space, causing issues in the environment. 

The Future of Sattelitter Technology 

All the powerful nations in the world are working tirelessly to improve and innovate sattelitter technology. So it is safe to say that the future will be exciting as well as challenging.

These are some advancements that we will surely see in the near future: 

• Multi-constellation satellites will be launched by space companies to create a network of universal internet network. 
• Eco-friendly designs will be introduced, which will produce machines that can self-destruct and deorbit after the accomplishment of the mission. 
• AI and ML-powered technology will be installed to power navigation and decision-making. 
• New systems will be introduced to close the divide for countless individuals lacking access to contemporary internet and communication technologies.

Final Words 

Satellites or sattelitters are guardians monitoring every move on the earth in this digital age. They are the reason for our climate forecast warnings, overseas communications, and strong defense force. However, these machines had a humble beginning in the 1950s and are now the greatest technology in the world. 

We have covered everything from the evolution of sattelitter technology, types and functions, to the future ahead in this blog. Hopefully, the information has given you a clearer perspective on how satellites work.