A satellite is a body that orbits around another body in space. There are two different types of satellites – natural and man-made. Examples of natural satellites are the Earth and Moon. The Earth rotates around the Sun and the Moon rotates around the Earth. A man-made satellite is a machine that is launched into space and orbits around a body in space. Examples of man-made satellites include the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station.
Types of Satellites
1.Astronomical: Deployed for observation of distant planets, stars, galaxies, and objects in-universe. It is a space Telescope hanging in space to photograph objects in space.
2.Biosatellite : Places animals or plants in space to conduct research on the effects of space on these living objects.
3.Communication:These satellites support telecommunication. Telecasting, Phone calls, Internet connectivity, Radio, and much remote connectivity are typical applications.
4.Earth Observation: Deployed to study environment, monitor climatic changes and mapping the earth for non-military purposes.
5.Navigation: Facilitates to trace the exact location of any objects on the Earth. This leads to the development of new applications, technology, and business cases.
6.Killer (Military) : Deployed to attack enemy satellites and space objects during the war period.
7.Space Stations : Designed for human beings to live and conduct research on objects on planets, stars, and galaxies.
8.Reconnaissance: Deployed for spying, surveying and scouting enemy territory during the war period.
9.Crewed Spacecraft: These satellites ferry astronauts to space and bring them back to earth. It has good grounding facilities and helps astronauts in accessing space stations.
10.Recovery: Recovery satellites are mainly used to recover bio, reconnaissance and other satellites back to earth.
11.Solar Power:Space-based satellites gather energy from the Sun and transmit it to earth for consumption.
12.Miniaturized: Smaller sized and lower weight satellites are launched at an economical cost used for the limited purpose of scientific data gathering and radio relay.
13.Tether:Tether satellites are connected to another satellite by the tether. It is used as a secondary payload to another main satellite mainly used in students and mini-projects.
14.Weather : These satellites are used to measure and report the Earth’s weather, and the reports are used in a weather forecast.