Artificial Satellites
Artificial satellites, human-built objects, are launched into a temporary or permanent orbit around Earth and other planets in the Solar System. Artificial Satellites are launched into orbit using various types of rockets. Over three thousand active satellites are orbiting in the Earth's orbit. The design, size, and altitude of the satellite are defended by the satellite's purpose. Artificial satellites help us communicate, to observe and study our Earth and other planets, and even observe the whole solar system and also outside of the Solar System.
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Types of Artificial Satellites:-
Artificial satellites are commonly classified into two types based on the direction of motion of the satellites.- Geosynchronous or Geostationary Satellites
- Polar Orbiting Satellites
Geosynchronous Satellites:
Artificial satellites that rotate around the west-east of the earth in their pre-fixed Geostationary orbits are called geosynchronous or geostationary satellites.
Polar Orbiting Satellites:
The artificial satellites that orbit around the north-south orbit and are approximately 300-1100 km away from the Earth’s surface are called the Polar satellites.
Sizes of artificial satellites:-
The satellite's size is defended by its purpose. The largest satellite is 'International Space Station' (ISS). The ISS is 109 meters end to end with a mass of 420,000 kilograms (without visiting vehicle). The name of the smallest satellite is 'Kalamsat' with a mass of only 64 grams. Some communication satellites are seven to fifty meters long.
Altitudes of artificial satellites:-
Altitude is the distance above sea level. Altitudes of satellites also vary. The three common orbits of our Earth are:
Geostationary orbit (GEO):Medium Earth orbit (MEO):
20,000 km above the Earth's surface, and the time for one orbit is about 12 hours. This is commonly used for GPS and other navigation satellites.
First artificial satellites:-
The first ever artificial satellite is called Sputnik-1 was launched on 4 October 1957 by the Soviet Union. The mass of Sputnik-1 was almost 184 pounds and its size was ~23 inches. It took almost 98 minutes to complete one round of Earth.
Some Questions & Answers:-
Q.1) What is the difference between Artificial Satellites and Natural Satellites?
Ans. Natural Satellites are objects that occur naturally by natural materials. On the other hand, Artificial Satellites are made and controlled by human beings.
Q.2) What is the name of the first Artificial Satellite?Ans. The first Artificial satellite was Sputnik-1 (launched by the Soviet Union under the Sputnik program.
Q.3) What is the first launched satellite of the USA?
Ans. The United States of America successfully launched its first artificial satellite On 31/01/1958. The name of the satellite is 'Explorer 1'.
Q.4) What is the first launched satellite of India?
Ans. The Aryabhata spacecraft. It was launched on April 19, 1975, from Kapustin Yar.
Q.5) What are called artificial satellites?Ans. A human-built object that is launched into a temporary or permanent orbit around Earth and other planets in the Solar System using a rocket is called Artificial Satellites.
Q.6) What is the importance of artificial satellites?Ans. Artificial Satellites are used to study and observe Earth and other planets, communication, millinery, navigation, GPS, and some AI applications (ex. virtual assistants like Alexa).
Q.7) Write some Artificial satellites' name.Ans. International Space Station, Bhaskara I, Explorer 1, etc.
Q.8) What is the full form of ISS?Ans. The full form of ISS is the 'International Space Station'. It is the largest satellite in the world.