Every use of satellite technology is fascinating to learn about. Here in this article, we look at how important this technology is for beaming information through space at high speeds.
Satellite technology has become increasingly important for our daily lives. It helps us meet society’s growing demand for data and high-speed data transfer. Today’s use of satellite technology allows us to forecast the weather, navigate, monitor the Earth, connect with remote places, use phones, watch television, and so much more. Moreover, investment in satellites services is growing in most developed countries around the world. In this article, were going to dive into how satellites are used and how better technology is making information transfer even faster. Let’s find out more.
Traveling waves
Electromagnetic waves are propagated through space, bouncing off satellites. Each system of communication has a certain band of frequencies allocated for it. It’s a finite resource because you need to occupy the correct bands and make room for new ones to be used. It can pose several technical challenges, so scientists need to invent new ways of beaming information through space.
Laser communication
Instead of relying on traditional radio wave communication, the light from lasers can be used to relay information. These laser waves are still part of the regular electromagnetic spectrum, but the frequencies are much higher, meaning that data can be transferred at much higher speeds. One of the biggest disadvantages is that lasers cannot travel through walls and can even be blocked by stormy weather. This certainly poses problems for data transfer on Earth, but it is not an issue when satellite to satellite communication is concerned. Out in space, there are no immediate obstacles to laser communication.
Fibre-optics
Today, fiber-optic cables are providing ways of communicating and transferring an enormous amount of data. Although optical communication from satellite to satellite doesn’t make use of cables, free-space optical communication will be used to provide the same connectivity in space that we have on Earth. Up in space, light waves are commonly used for communication between satellites.
CubeSats
Much of the effort to increase information transfer has gone into research and development of better radio technology. In 2003, CubeSats were launched, providing up to 100 times faster data transfer rates than ever before. The antennas are also ten times smaller than conventional ones. The antennas are optical lenses of a compact size which allows them to be easily integrated into small CubeSats satellites. These satellites are currently being used for communications, observation, scientific discovery, and there are numerous other uses of satellites.
Optical communication
Currently, most research and development is looking at improving optical communication to increase security. Laser beams are narrow and are therefore very difficult to both locate and intercept. This fact makes it very difficult for hackers to be able to eavesdrop on laser communication. This is a lot more secure than traditional radio electromagnetic wave transfer.
High-speed communication from optical data transfer is going to improve connectivity for the whole world. Those areas that currently have four connection speeds will be able to experience access to all sorts of things, such as healthcare and remote learning. As optical communication technology increases, satellite use will result in better management of resources, with substantial improvements to be made in both land and climate monitoring.
Pulling knowledge together
It can be very challenging to work in the field of optical satellite communication. The use of satellite technology combines numerous fields and research areas, including manufacturing, telecommunication, photonics, and more. Our current technology is limited, but theoretically, there is a lot of room for improvement. Scientists have noted the need to collaborate to facilitate new changes. This will be the pressing challenge of this century, to communicate and collectively pull knowledge together.
Every use of satellite technology is fascinating
Now that you’ve read our article, you’ll likely know all about using laser beams to send information around the globe. It’s a no-brainer – the benefits of satellites are so vast that the whole book could be written on the subject. Day by day, technology gets better, and information transfers faster. What a time to be alive!
In your opinion, what are satellites used for in current times? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
