Introduction: A New Space Race for Broadband A revolution is underway above our heads. In the past year alone, companies and governments worldwide have turbocharged efforts to beam high-speed internet from space down to Earth. SpaceX’s Starlink constellation has surpassed 8,000 satellites launched since 2019, amassing over 5 million users across 125+ countries reuters.com. In…
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Background: A Long-Defunct NASA Satellite (Relay 2) Relay 2 is an experimental communications satellite NASA launched on January 21, 1964, as part of the early Relay programen.wikipedia.org. Similar in design to its predecessor Relay 1, this satellite was built by RCA and tasked with relaying television signals and studying Earth’s radiation beltsen.wikipedia.or en.wikipedia.org. After a successful launch atop…
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Astronomers were stunned when a 1960s NASA satellite suddenly “blinked” to life. On 13 June 2024, the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope in Western Australia detected an extraordinarily brief yet intense radio pulse lasting <30 nanoseconds and peaking at over 300,000 Jy chron.com n2yo.com. By tracing the signal in Earth’s vicinity (within ~12,400 miles…
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Earth Observation (EO) refers to the collection of information about Earth’s land, oceans, and atmosphere via remote sensing technologies – primarily satellites, but also drones, aircraft, and ground sensors. In the context of disaster management, EO provides a “big picture” perspective of events as they unfold. This real-time, wide-area view is transforming how we prepare…
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What Is Space Weather and Why It Matters Space Weather refers to the changing environmental conditions in space driven by the Sun’s activity – including bursts of solar radiation, charged particles, and magnetic disturbances. Just as terrestrial weather can produce hurricanes or blizzards, our Sun generates “solar tempests” like solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs),…
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Satellites play a vital role in modern society, supporting communications, navigation, Earth observation, scientific discovery, and security. This comprehensive report highlights 100 of the most important currently operational satellites across five major categories: Communications, Earth Observation, Navigation/Positioning, Scientific & Exploration, and Military/Intelligence. Each entry includes the satellite’s name (and launch year), operating organization, purpose and…
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Introduction – A New Era of Online Satellite Maps Satellite maps have become an indispensable tool for everyday users and professionals alike. From planning road trips and exploring distant cities to monitoring environmental changes and responding to emergencies, modern mapping services bring high-resolution Earth imagery to our browsers and smartphones. This report dives into the…
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The GNSS Augmentation & Precise Positioning Services Market is entering a phase of rapid growth, fueled by surging demand for centimeter-level accuracy across industries. High-precision GNSS correction services – including satellite-based augmentation, real-time kinematic (RTK) networks, and precise point positioning (PPP) – have become indispensable for modern applications like precision agriculture, construction automation, surveying, and…
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Modern militaries rely on robust communication networks to coordinate operations, from secure battlefield radios to satellites and smartphone-based systems. Precise and secure communications are the sinews of good decision-making on the battlefield – a decisive factor in warfare that enables effective command and control of forces othjournal.com. This report explores the history of military telecommunications…
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Introduction to Satellite Radio Satellite radio is a form of digital radio broadcast that transmits audio signals from satellites orbiting the Earth, enabling coverage across vast areas with high clarity britannica.com. Unlike traditional AM/FM radio confined to local transmitters, satellite radio beams content directly from space to receivers (typically in cars and homes) via geostationary…
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