UGANDA CHRISTIAN

UNIVERSITY
Group 10
Name Reg No
Ongodia Godfrey S08B23/607
Tabaalya Phillip S08B23/802
Ajuna Annet S08B23/003
Nabude Belinda S08B23/506
Murungi Brian S08B23/429
Lumonya Miriam S08B23/362
Nasamula Rachael S08B23/504
SATELLITES

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What is a satellite?
 A satellite is an electronic device that is set into space
and moves around the earth or another planet. It is
used for communicating by radio, television and for
providing information.
 A satellite is also a natural object that moves around
a larger natural object in space for example the moon
is a satellite of the earth.

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CATEGORIES OF SATELLITES
Satellite can be categorized according to;
1. The distance from the earth
These include; Low Earth Orbit satellites , Medium Earth Orbit
satellites , Geostationary Earth Orbit satellites
2. Their functions
 Communication satellites: These provide worldwide linkup of
radio, television and telephone. Examples include Echo 1
launched in 1960, Relay 1 launched in 1962, Telstar 1 launched
in 1962.
 Weather satellites (meteorological satellites): These provide
continuous up-to-date information about large scale
atmospheric conditions such as cloud cover. Examples include
Tiros 1 launched in 1960, GOES (Geostationary Operational
Environmental Satellites)

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Low Earth Orbit Satellites
 LEO satellites are the closest to the earth, ranging from
500 to 1,500 km above the surface.
 LEO satellites must travel very fast to avoid gravity
forces. They travel at 17,000 miles per hour.
 LEO satellites don’t stay in fixed position relative to the
surface, and are only visible for 15 to 20 minutes each
pass. These satellites can circle the whole earth in about
one and a half hours and have a life expectancy of 7-
10 years

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LEO Continued
 A network of 40 and beyond LEO satellites is necessary
for LEO satellites to be useful

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Advantages of LEO satellites
 A LEO satellite’s proximity to earth compared to a

GEO satellite gives it a better signal strength and less

of a time delay, which makes it better for point to

point communication.

 A LEO satellite’s smaller area of coverage is less of a

waste of bandwidth.

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Disadvantages of LEO satellites
 A network of LEO satellites is needed, which can be

costly

 LEO satellites have to compensate for Doppler shifts

cause by their relative movement.

 Atmospheric drag affects LEO satellites, causing

gradual orbital deterioration

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Medium Earth Orbit satellites
 A MEO satellite is in orbit somewhere between 8,000
km and 18,000 km above the earth’s surface.
 These satellites are in line of sight for 2 hours and it
takes 8 hours to rotate around the earth.
 MEO satellites have a life expectancy of 10-15 years
 MEO satellites have a larger coverage area than LEO
satellites.

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Advantages of the MEO satellites
 A MEO satellite’s longer duration of visibility and
wider footprint means fewer satellites are needed in
a MEO network than a LEO network.

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Disadvantages of MEO satellites
 A MEO satellite’s distance gives it a longer time delay
and weaker signal than a LEO satellite, though not as
bad as a GEO satellite.

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Geostationary Earth Orbit Satellite
 These satellites are in orbit 35,863 km above the earth’s
surface along the equator.
 A satellite in the Geosynchronous orbits the earth in 24
hours (the time it takes the earth to rotate one time). If
these satellites are positioned over the equator and travel
in the same direction as the earth rotates, they appear
“fixed” with respect to a given spot on the earth.
 GEO satellites have a life expectancy of 10-15 years
 3 GEO satellites can cover the globe.

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Advantages of GEO satellites
 A GEO satellite’s distance from earth gives it a large
coverage area, almost a fourth of the earth’s surface.
 GEO satellites have a 24 hour view of a particular
area
 These factors make it ideal for satellite broadcast and
other multipoint applications.

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Disadvantages of GEO satellites
 A GEO satellite’s distance also causes it to have both
a comparatively weak signal and a time delay in the
signal, which is bad for point to point communication.
 GEO satellites, centered above the equator, have
difficulty broadcasting signals to near polar regions

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References

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstu
dents/8/features/what-is-a-satellite-5
8.html

http://www.howstuffworks.com/satell
ites

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