A Communications Satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder. It creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and receiver at different locations on Earth. These are used for Television, Telephone, Radio, Internet and military applications.
Communications Satellite usually have one of three primary types of orbit:
- MEO(Medium Earth Orbit)
- LEO(Low Earth Orbit)
- GEO(Geostationary Orbit)
The first Communications Satellite named ‘Telstar’ was built by a team at ‘Bell Telephone Laboratories’ in USA. It was incorporated with many innovations such as the Transistor and the 3600 Solar Panels that powered the satellite.
The future of satellite communications will thus also be shaped by artificial intelligence, robotics, terrestrial wireless systems, high altitude platform systems, quantum computing, laser communications, new multiplex systems, and a host of other technologies.
The first Communication Satellite, ‘Telstar’ was only able to live broadcast Television images between the United States and Europe and it remained active for only 7 months. But a modern satellite is much more capable and can stay much more longer(3-4 years) in orbit.