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communications satellite
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The satellite's solar panels are arrays of solar cells that provide the electrical energy needed for its functions, the power being stored in batteries. Its antennas may be 8 ft (2.5 m) in diameter and may transmit wide-area-of-coverage beams or narrowly focused “spot” beams. Space shuttle Endeavour astronauts capturing the 4.5-ton Intelsat VI, a communications satellite stranded in an unusable orbit, in order to repair it, 1992. NASA launch of Early Bird, or Intelsat I Early Bird, or Intelsat I Molniya 1L, a television communications satellite launched April 11, 1969. Replicas of the synchronous communications satellites that allowed the 1968 Olympic Games to be televised in Europe and Japan. Telstar 1
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communications satellite

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The satellite's solar panels are arrays of solar cells that provide the electrical energy needed for its functions, the power being stored in batteries. Its antennas may be 8 ft (2.5 m) in diameter and may transmit wide-area-of-coverage beams or narrowly focused “spot” beams.
communications satellite
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Category: Science & Tech
Key People:
John Robinson Pierce
William P. Lear
Harold Rosen
Related Topics:
satellite communication
Telstar
Syncom 2
Westar
Syncom 3
See all related content →

communications satellite, Earth-orbiting system capable of receiving a signal (e.g., data, voice, TV) and relaying it back to the ground. Communications satellites have been a significant part of domestic and global communications since the 1970s. Typically they move in geosynchronous orbits about 22,300 mi (35,900 km) above the earth and operate at frequencies near 4 gigahertz (GHz) for downlinking and 6 GHz for uplinking.

This article was most recently revised and updated by William L. Hosch.