{"id":3765,"date":"2026-01-04T22:58:05","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T17:28:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/?p=3765"},"modified":"2026-01-05T11:39:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T06:09:13","slug":"types-of-satellite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/types-of-satellite\/","title":{"rendered":"Types of Satellite"},"content":{"rendered":"

Satellites are objects that revolve around any celestial body<\/strong> larger than their size. They can be either natural or artificial. Artificial satellites are placed into various types of orbits<\/strong> by using rockets to perform specific functions. These satellites, equipped with comprehensive instruments, are used for studying Earth and other planets, aiding communication, and even observing the distant universe.<\/p>\r\n

Based on their altitude and functionality, satellites (artificial) are classified into various types - Communication, Earth Observatory, Navigation, and Astronomical satellites<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n

General Components of a Satellite<\/h2>\r\n

The components of a satellite vary depending on the satellite\u2019s function and associated application; however, there are some components commonly found on most of the satellites.<\/p>\r\n

\"components<\/p>\r\n

    \r\n\t
  • Power Source: <\/strong>Solar power panels are used to meet power requirements.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n\t
  • Housing: <\/strong>These are constructed with hard withstanding material to safeguard critical instruments<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n\t
  • Transponders:<\/strong> It refers collectively to a transmitter-receiver subsystem<\/strong> on board the satellite that processes, amplifies,<\/strong> and retransmits a range of frequencies.<\/li>\r\n\t
  • Thermal control: <\/strong>It guards satellite equipment from extreme changes in temperature.<\/li>\r\n\t
  • Command and data handling: <\/strong>These components, considered the heart of a satellite,<\/strong> are used to monitor and control the satellite from Earth.<\/li>\r\n\t
  • Guidance and stabilization: Sensors <\/strong>monitor the satellite\u2019s real time position to keep it in a desirable orbit, whereas thrusters<\/strong> and other maneuvers<\/strong> allow the satellite to fine tune its position and orientation.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

    Communication Satellites<\/h2>\r\n

    Communication satellites are artificial satellites that are used for communication purposes<\/strong> such as telecommunication, broadcasting,<\/strong> etc. They are equipped with a transponder, <\/strong>which relays and amplifies<\/strong> radio telecommunication signals from Earth and retransmits them back to Earth.<\/p>\r\n

    \"communication<\/p>\r\n

    Orbits of Communication Satellites<\/h3>\r\n

    To meet the specific objectives, communication satellites can be placed in different orbits - in Geostationary Earth Orbit as well as in Low Earth Orbit.<\/p>\r\n

      \r\n\t
    • Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO): <\/strong>Communication satellites are generally placed in geostationary Earth orbit (35786 kilometers above Earth's surface) to be used for telecommunication and broadcast as they offer less disturbance or obstacles.\r\n\r\n
        \r\n\t
      • GEO has many relative advantages, such as wide area coverage, stable bandwidth and internet connection, and less power consumption.<\/li>\r\n\t
      • Hence, GSAT series of ISRO<\/strong> has been placed in GEO to provide telecommunication services such as Broadcasting, internet services, etc.<\/li>\r\n\t
      • However, the service provided by the GEO Communication satellites has the major disadvantage of \u201chighlatency\u201d.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t
      • Low Earth Orbit (LEO): <\/strong>LEO (160 km to 1000 km) offers increased bandwidth of the radio signal with low latency, <\/strong>which facilitates faster transmission of data. Hence, it has become a natural choice to place a constellation of satellites for high speed internet services, such as:<\/strong>\r\n
          \r\n\t
        • Starlink Project of SpaceX: <\/strong>Constellations of 4,200 plus satellites are placed in LEO at a distance of 550 km.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

          Applications of Communication Satellites<\/h3>\r\n

          Communication satellites have brought radical changes to modern society due to their diverse applications.<\/p>\r\n

            \r\n\t
          • Communication and Broadcasting Services: Indian National Satellite (INSAT)<\/strong> system is one of the largest communication satellite systems in the Asia-Pacific region.<\/li>\r\n\t
          • Meteorology: <\/strong>Transponders like C, Extended C, and Ku-bands provide services in meteorology, such as weather forecasting, disaster warning,<\/strong> and search and rescue operations.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n\t
          • High speed internet services: <\/strong>Modern communication satellites are offering exclusive services like high speed internet services.\r\n\r\n
              \r\n\t
            • Starlink project, <\/strong>the world's first and largest satellite constellation.<\/li>\r\n\t
            • OneWeb project: <\/strong>Satellite communications company, One Web has planned to place 648 satellites in LEO.<\/li>\r\n\t
            • GSAT31 <\/strong>is providing high-speed internet connectivity <\/strong>in India with augmentation ku-band transponders.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

              Earth Observation Satellites<\/h2>\r\n

              The Earth Observing Satellites are polar-orbiting and low inclination satellites<\/strong> for long-term observations of the various landscapes on the Earth - atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere and oceans. These types of satellites monitor our planet from space<\/strong> and report back on any changes they observe.<\/p>\r\n

              \"earth<\/p>\r\n

              Orbits of Earth Observation Satellites<\/h3>\r\n
                \r\n\t
              • Earth observation satellites mainly follow a synchronous sub-recurrent orbit<\/strong>, a type of polar orbit.<\/li>\r\n\t
              • A synchronous sub-recurrent orbit<\/strong> is a combination of a sun-synchronous orbit<\/strong> and sub-recurrent orbit<\/strong>.\r\n\r\n
                  \r\n\t
                • sun-synchronous orbit: <\/strong>The angle between an orbit plane and the Sun seen from the Earth is always constant at the same local solar time<\/li>\r\n\t
                • Sub-recurrent orbit<\/strong>: Flying at the same local solar time and the same location at a fixed period).<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t
                • Observational benefit for satellites: <\/strong>It is possible to observe the same region at fixed intervals as the incidence angle of sunlight on the earth\u2019s surface is almost constant in a synchronous sub-recurrent orbit.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

                  \"orbit<\/p>\r\n

                  Applications of Earth Observation Satellites<\/h3>\r\n

                  Earth Observation Satellites (EOS) provide necessary spatial and temporal data with the help of onboard instruments<\/strong> on the satellites. The data from these satellites is used for several applications,<\/strong> such as land andforest mapping<\/strong> and monitoring, mapping of resources like water or minerals, weather and climate observations<\/strong>, soil assessment<\/strong>, and geospatial contour mapping.<\/p>\r\n

                    \r\n\t
                  • Mechanism:<\/strong>\r\n
                      \r\n\t
                    • Remote sensing: <\/strong>It is the process of detecting and monitoring the physical characteristics of an area <\/strong>by measuring its reflected and emitted radiation at a distance<\/strong> with the help of Earth observation satellites.<\/li>\r\n\t
                    • Geographical information system <\/strong>satellites are a type of remote sensing spacecraft whose main function is to provide images appropriate for GIS mapping and facilitate spatial analysis for town planning and land use change.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t
                    • Examples of different EOS satellites:<\/strong>\r\n
                        \r\n\t
                      • The Cartosat series<\/strong> of satellites (ISRO) are meant to provide data on land topography and the development of maps of geographical areas.<\/li>\r\n\t
                      • Oceanography: Oceansat satellites <\/strong>are meant for oceanography, <\/strong>such asmapping of the ocean topography.<\/li>\r\n\t
                      • Resource management:Resourcesat series of ISRO is<\/strong> dedicated to resource management. For example, EOS-04 (Radar Imaging Satellite<\/strong>) is designed to provide high-quality images under all weather conditions for applications of resource management, such as mineral and forestry resources.<\/li>\r\n\t
                      • Meteorological application:<\/strong> EOS satellites provide meteorologists with a data source unmatched in comparable spatial and temporal coverage<\/strong> by any existing or practical means, which helps in studying ocean and atmospheric dynamics. EUMETSAT<\/strong> is an operational Earth observation satellite of the European Space Agency for monitoring weather, climate, and the environment from space.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

                        Navigational Satellites<\/h2>\r\n

                        Navigation satellites use a constellation of satellites located between 20,000 and 37,000 kilometers<\/strong> from Earth\u2019s surface, transmitting radio signals to provide geospatial services.<\/p>\r\n

                        Such satellites send out signals revealing their position in space, time, and health status.<\/p>\r\n

                        \"earth<\/p>\r\n

                        Orbits of Navigational Satellites<\/h3>\r\n

                        Navigational satellites follow multiple orbits based on the desired utility and application.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

                          \r\n\t
                        • Medium Earth Orbit (MEO): <\/strong>GPS satellites have been placed in MEO <\/strong>at an altitude of approximately 20,200 km.<\/li>\r\n\t
                        • Geostationary and geosynchronous orbits:<\/strong>\r\n
                            \r\n\t
                          • NavIC<\/strong> (Navigation with Indian Constellation) is designed with a constellation of seven satellites<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n\t
                          • Three satellites of the constellation are placed in geostationary orbit,<\/strong> whereas four satellites are placed in inclined geosynchronous orbit<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

                            Major Navigation Satellites system<\/h3>\r\n
                              \r\n\t
                            • Global Navigation Satellite System: <\/strong>It serves geolocation services at global level.\r\n\r\n
                                \r\n\t
                              • GPS (USA)<\/li>\r\n\t
                              • GLONASS (Russia)<\/li>\r\n\t
                              • Galileo (Europe)<\/li>\r\n\t
                              • BeiDou (China)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t
                              • Regional Navigation Satellite System: <\/strong>It operates at regional level and provides geospatial services to limited countries.\r\n\r\n
                                  \r\n\t
                                • NavIC (<\/strong>India)<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

                                  Applications of Navigation Satellites<\/h3>\r\n
                                    \r\n\t
                                  • Traffic management and other high end applications like Guided Missile system<\/strong> and other navigation based services.<\/li>\r\n\t
                                  • Navigation satellites cater to meet the emerging demands of the Civil Aviation industry<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n\t
                                  • Search operation users <\/strong>utilise satellite based positioning and navigation services which operate on the satellite navigation system.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

                                    Astronomical satellites<\/h2>\r\n

                                    An astronomical satellite is a giant telescope placed in a space environment. It observes celestial objects like planets, stars, galaxies, and objects in the universe using infrared imaging technology. It has better vision resolution to map the universe.<\/p>\r\n

                                    \"james<\/p>\r\n

                                    Satellites used in astronomy can be classified into various subcategories:<\/p>\r\n

                                      \r\n\t
                                    • Astronomy satellites <\/strong>are employed to investigate numerous types of celestial bodies<\/strong> and associated phenomena in space. It also reveals the process<\/strong> associated with the evolution of stars. Moreover, it facilitates development of planetary surface maps<\/strong> and taking of images of the planets in our solar system for the study of black holes<\/strong>.\r\n\r\n
                                        \r\n\t
                                      • The Hubble Space Telescope<\/strong> is an example of an astronomy class of satellites placed in low Earth orbit.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t
                                      • James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is so far the largest and most powerful telescope to observe distant universes.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n\t
                                      • AstroSat <\/strong>is the first dedicated Indian astronomy mission (a space telescope) aimed at studying celestial sources in X-ray, optical, and UV spectral bands simultaneously.<\/li>\r\n\t
                                      • Climate research satellites <\/strong>have specific types of sensors that allow scientists to gather comprehensive, multi-faceted data on the world\u2019s oceans and ice, land, biosphere, and atmosphere.\r\n\r\n
                                          \r\n\t
                                        • \u00a0Aqua's \u201cA-Train\u201d satellites are<\/strong> part of the NASA-centered international Earth Observing System.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n\t
                                        • \u00a0The primary mission is to improve understanding of Earth's water cycle<\/strong> by collecting information on ocean evaporation, atmospheric water vapor, etc.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t
                                        • Biosatellite: <\/strong>It performs space-based studies on plant and animal cells<\/strong> and structures. Such types of satellites play a key role in the development of medicine and biology. Some examples of biosatellites are:\r\n\r\n
                                            \r\n\t
                                          • The Biosat series of NASA<\/strong> studied the effects of the space environment on biological processes.<\/li>\r\n\t
                                          • Bion- space program of the Russian Federation,<\/strong> of which Bion-M (2013) is the latest one.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                            Based on their application, satellites can be classified as Communication satellite, Navigation satellite, Earth observation satellite and Astronomical satellites.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":8414,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[40,590],"class_list":{"0":"post-3765","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-quest-level-3","8":"tag-quest","9":"tag-types-of-satellite"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3765"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19822,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3765\/revisions\/19822"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}