Satellite communication applications

- [Instructor] Satellite communications are all around us, from Earth observation, scientific research, to tracking navigation and information services, including telephony, broadcasting, and internet. The Earth observation satellites are equipped with sensing instruments for various missions. That provides essential information about ocean, ice, land environments, and the atmosphere. For example, satellite data has been used for air quality assessments through tracking smoke plumes and the toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide as well as carbon dioxide. They can also help fight climate change through monitoring deforestation, rising sea levels, and greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. Earth-observing satellites can perform geophysical managements to understand earthquakes with satellite radar. The wildfire can also be monitored through the visible infrared imaging radio meters with sensor on the polar-orbiting satellites. They can monitor the crop yields to assist agricultural activities and production. Satellites can also help with transport and logistics applications. For example, assets, cargo, and vehicles, including ships, cars, airplanes, can be optimally scheduled in a supply chain through satellite tracking and navigation capability and through communications capability to transfer various data. These data include vehicular health, traffic, weather conditions, and positions. Without data to support worldwide logistics, food and other goods can spoil or create backlogs before they reach their destination via different hubs. Satellites have been broadly used in information services, such as multimedia broadcast and internet access to rural and remote areas with no terrestrial infrastructure. With satellite connectivity, users can access enhanced multimedia streaming and various digital services and applications, including the first responders and the defense applications as well as the internet of things where numerous connected objects with sensors can transfer data around the world through the satellite network. Recent advancement in the satellites in hardware and constellations can provide broadband internet access to anywhere on Earth where many of the Earth is currently using the terrestrial networks. Satellite communications have enabled many tasks we cannot easily do on the ground and provide a key infrastructure in space for global information and communications services.