Parts of a Satellite Communication System
Satellite communication systems make it possible for one person to talk to another halfway around the world, view crisp visual images on a satellite television set or have a lightning fast Internet connection. Astra, a privately owned company that launches communication satellites into outer space, says an average satellite costs more than $100 million to build and launch.
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Subsystems
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Communication satellites contain two subsystems. The satellite bus subsystem -- including its orbit, propulsion, mechanical structure, and thermal, electric and command systems -- maintain the functionality of the satellite. The payload subsystem, mainly composed of antennas and transponders, contains all items needed to transmit and receive information.
Satellite Control Center
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A satellite control center's scientists and engineers ensure that a launched satellite works properly and transmits information regularly. Such centers also perform orbit control, routine system maintenance, real-time monitoring and troubleshooting.
The Ground-Based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance System, a branch of the U.S. Air Force, reports "approximately 20,000 known man-made objects in orbit around the Earth ... from active payloads, such as weather satellites or Global Positioning System satellites to 'space junk' such as rocket bodies or debris from past satellite breakups," as of September 2010. According to Union of Concerned Scientists, operational satellites make up about 958 of those objects.
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Earth Stations
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A satellite communication system includes an earth station with satellite phones, TV receivers and other larger devices that directly communicate with the satellite. Earth stations feature an antenna capable of sending signals to the satellite; a receiver/decoder that interprets the signal; and a transmitter that sends back the signal and other necessary information.
Dedicated Frequency Bands
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Like radios that use AM and FM frequencies, satellites also have dedicated frequency bands, including the C-band, the Ku-band and the Ka-band. While satellite communications companies use the first two bands most often, Intelsat.com predicts a jump in the use of Ka-band frequencies.
The Future
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The Satellite Industry Association, a trade organization of major U.S. satellite companies, released its 2010 State of the Satellite Industry Report in June of that same year. According to its report, satellite services had an annual steady growth of 11 percent, while satellite manufacturing increased by 29 percent from 2009 to 2010. The report also noted that "satellite ground equipment grew by 8 percent, largely due to consumer-oriented products including satellite TV, broadband, mobile satellites and GPS devices."
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