Earth Station

Earth Station

An on-ground terminal linked to a spacecraft or satellite by an antenna and associated electronic equipment for the purpose of transmitting or receiving messages, tracking, or control.


Telecommunicate with satellites—chiefly communications satellites. Other earth stations communicate with manned space stations or unmanned space probes.

Tracking station: An earth station that primarily receives telemetry data, or that follows a satellite not in geostationary orbit, is called a tracking station.

Teleport: is a satellite earth station with multiple antennas (i.e., an antenna farm) that functions as a hub connecting a satellite or geocentric orbital network with a terrestrial telecommunications network.

Deep Space Network: The Deep Space Network, or DSN, is an international network of large antennas and communication facilities that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions, and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe. The DSN should not be confused with the Interplanetary Transport Network. The network also supports selected Earth-orbiting missions. DSN is part of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Types of Satellites.

Anti-Satellite weapons/"Killer Satellites”
are satellites that are armed, designed to take out enemy warheads, satellites, other space assets. They may have particle weapons, energy weapons, kinetic weapons, nuclear and/or conventional missiles and/or a combination of these weapons.

Astronomical satellites
are satellites used for observation of distant planets, galaxies, and other outer space objects.
Biosatellites
are satellites designed to carry living organisms, generally for scientific experimentation.

Communications satellites
are satellites stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications. Modern communications satellites typically use geosynchronous orbits, Molniya orbits or Low Earth orbits.
Miniaturized satellites are satellites of unusually low weights and small sizes.[12] New classifications are used to categorize these satellites: minisatellite (500–100 kg), microsatellite (below 100 kg), nanosatellite (below 10 kg).

Navigational satellites
are satellites which use radio time signals transmitted to enable mobile receivers on the ground to determine their exact location. The relatively clear line of sight between the satellites and receivers on the ground, combined with ever-improving electronics, allows satellite navigation systems to measure location to accuracies on the order of a few meters in real time.

Reconnaissance satellites
are Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications.Very little is known about the full power of these satellites, as governments who operate them usually keep information pertaining to their reconnaissance satellites classified.

Earth observation satellites
are satellites intended for non-military uses such as environmental monitoring, meteorology, map making etc.Space stations are man-made structures that are designed for human beings to live on in outer space. A space station is distinguished from other manned spacecraft by its lack of major propulsion or landing facilities — instead, other vehicles are used as transport to and from the station. Space stations are designed for medium-term living in orbit, for periods of weeks, months, or even years.

Tether satellites
are satellites which are connected to another satellite by a thin cable called a tether.

Weather satellites
are primarily used to monitor Earth's weather and climate.

What is a satellite.

A satellite is something that goes around and around a larger something, like the earth or another planet. Some satellites are natural, like the moon, which is a natural satellite of the earth. Other satellites are made by scientists and technologists to go around the earth and do certain jobs.

Some satellites send and receive television signals. The signal is sent from a station on the earth’s surface. The satellite receives the signal and rebroadcasts it to other places on the earth. With the right number of satellites in space, one television program can be seen all over the world.

Some satellites send and receive telephone, fax, and computer communications.
Satellites make it possible to communicate by telephone, fax, Internet, or computer withanyone in the world.

Other satellites observe the world’s weather, feeding weather information into giant
computer programs that help scientists know what the weather will be. The weather
reporters on your favorite TV news show get their information from those scientists.

Still other satellites take very accurate pictures of the earth’s surface, sending back images that tell scientists about changes that are going on around the world and about crops, water, and other resources.

This is one kind of satellite—a Boeing 376, built by Boeing Satellite
Systems. The Boeing 376 is used mostly for broadcast television
and cable television.

This is another, larger kind of satellite—the Boeing 601—
which is also built by Boeing Satellite Systems. The Boeing
601 is used for many purposes, including direct broadcast
TV, such as DIRECTV. Direct broadcast TV is a system for
receiving television using a very small satellite dish. The television
signal is relayed by a Boeing 601 satellite. The Boeing 601 also relays
telephone, fax, and computer communications.


The most powerful commercial satellite in the world is the Boeing 702.
Designed and built by Boeing Satellite Systems, this giant has a
wingspan of nearly 133 feet—more than a Boeing 737 jet plane.