facts about numbers of satellites in orbit

7/27/2019 Facts About Numbers of Satellites in Orbit

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Facts about numbers of satellites in orbit

FACT DETAILS

Number of satellites Over 2 500 in orbit around the Earth

First rockets that

entered outer space

The German V2 rocket in mid 1940s

Number of man-

made objects

orbiting the Earth

In excess of 10 000

Facts about satellite firsts

FACT DETAILS

First fictional

depiction of satellite

The first mention of the idea of a satellite in a fictionals tory

occurred in a short story by Edward Everett Hale, The Brick Moon.

This story appeared in a publications entitled" The Atlantic Monthly".

The serialisation started in 1869

First treatise on the

use of satellites

The idea of a satellite was first postulated Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

(1857-1935). In 1903 he published an academic paper entitled: "

Means of Reaction Devices." In this he proposed the idea of a multi-

stage rocket using liquid hydrogen and oxygen being used to launch

the satellite into orbit as well as calculating the orbital speed

required to maintain orbit as 8 km/s.

First concept of a

space station

This occurred in 1928 when the Slovenian scientist, Herman

Potocnik (1892-1929) published a book entitled: "The Problem of

Space Travel - The Rocket Motor." In this he devised a scheme for

establishing a permanent human presence in space. He developed

the concept for the space station in some detail and calculated its

geostationary orbit. He then went on to describe the use of orbiting

spacecraft for observation of theground for both commercial and

military applications.

First detailed

concept of

geostationary

communications

satellites

This appeared in an article in 1945 in a British magazine entitled

Wireless World. Although written by the famous English science

fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008) it postulated the concept

of communications satellites to be used for mass communications.

Clarke investigated many aspects of the system from the satellite

launch, possible orbits and other aspects of the creation of a

network of world-circling satellites. He also correctly suggested that

just three geostationary satellites would provide coverage over the


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FACT DETAILS

entire planet. Unfortunately he did not realise quite how much the

system would be used, and that many more satellites would be

required to cater for the huge volume of data.

First satellites Sputnik 1 was launched by the Soviet Union on 4th October 1957. It

was a football sized globe that transmitted a "beep beep" sound as

it orbited the Earth. The word Sputnik means satellite. It continued

transmitting for about 21 days.

Second satellite Explorer 1 launched 31st January 1958 by USA.

First passive

reflector satellite

Echo 1 - launched by the USA on 12 August 1960. It was used as a

large reflector for radio signals, and was also plainly visible from

Earth to the naked eye

First active repeater

communications

satellite

Courier 1B - this was launched on 4 October 1960. It was also the

first satellite powered by solar cells that were used to re-charge

batteries used to power the system when behind the earth.

First direct relay

communications

satellite

Telstar 1 - launched on 10 July 1962, it carried the first

transatlantic live television pictures via satellite. It was also used for

telephone and high speed data communications.

First

communications

satellite in

geostationary orbit

Syncom 2. This was launched on 19 August 1964. It carried the first

Olympic broadcasts to international audiences via satellite. These

Olympics were held in Tokyo.

Read more aboutCommunications satellites

Telstar 1 Lift-Off in 1962

Image courtesy NASA

Facts about satellite orbits

FACT DETAILS
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FACT DETAILS

Geostationary orbit An orbit in which the satellite has the same angular velocity as the

Earth so it appears above the same position above the Earth at all

times. These orbits can only be directly above the equator.

Geostationary orbit

altitude

Approximately 35 786 km, 22 236 mile

Geostationary orbital

velocity

Approximately 3.07 km/s, 1.91 miles/s

Geostationary orbital

period

1 sidereal day, 23.934461223 hours, 23 hours 56 minutes and 4

seconds, 1 436 minutes 4 seconds.

Geostationary orbit

distance

The distance around the path of a complete geostationary orbit is

approximately 265 000 km or 165 000 miles

Low Earth Orbit, LEO

altitude range

200 - 1200 km

Medium Earth Orbit,

MEO altitude range

1200 - 35790 km

High Earth Orbit,

HEO altitudes

Above 35790 km

Read more aboutSatellite orbits

Facts about the satellite navigation

FACT DETAILS

Most widely used

SatNav

GPS - Global Position System

GPS official Name Navstar

GPS operator US Department of Defense

Navstar constellation 24 satellites + orbiting spares

Navstar satellite

expected life-time

10 years

Navstar typical size Dependent upon the satellite series and build date, but typically 17

feet across with antennas extended

Navstar typical

weight

Dependent upon the satellite series and build date, but can be

around 1860 pounds.

Navstar transmit

power

~ 50 watts
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FACT DETAILS

Navstar solar panel

capability

Solar panels generate about 700 watts of electricity

Navstar orbits The satellites are in one of six orbits. These are in planes that are

inclined at approximately 55 degrees to the equatorial plane and

there are four satellites in each orbit. The orbits that are roughly

20200 km above the surface of the Earth.

Navstar satellite

speed

Approximately 14000 km / hour, 8500 mph

Navstar orbit time Approximately 12 hours

Read more aboutGlobal Positioning System, GPS

Direct broadcast satellite facts

FACT DETAILS

Name Although commonly called Direct Broadcast Satellite, DBS, it is

officially known by the International Telecommunication Union, ITU,

as Broadcasting Satellite Service, or BS. It is a direct to home, DTH

service

Frequency bands ITU Region 1 (Europe, Russia, Asia): 10.7 - 12.75

GHz

ITU Region 2 (North & South America): 12.2 - 12.7

GHz

ITU Region 3 (Asia, Australasia): 11.7 - 12.2 GHz

ByIan Poole

Re-Entering Space Debris:

Number of people struck by re-entering debris:[1]One. In January 1997, Lottie Williams of Tulsa, Oklahoma was struck on the shoulder by a piece of the fuel

tank of a Delta II rocket while walking. She was not injured.

Size of biggest piece of recovered re-entered space debris[2]:

A 5-6 m2 (54-65 ft2) flat plate weighing 20 kg (44 pounds).

Mass of heaviest piece of recovered debris[3]:

290 kg (649 lbs).

Average number of pieces of tracked debris falling back to Earth on a typical day[4]:

1.
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Average number of heavy tracked objects (satellites and rocket bodies) falling back to Earth per year[5]:

100

Number of tracked objects re-entering the Earths atmosphere in 1989, the year with the most re-entries:Over 1000.

Amount of money the San Francisco Chronicle offered in 1979 if a subscriber suffered personal or property

damage from the re-entering Skylab satellite:

$200,000Number of pieces of re-entered debris featured in a Miss Universe pageant[6]:

One.

Speed of Satellites:

Time required for Phileas Fogg to circumnavigate the globe by balloon:[1]

80 days

Time required for first non-stop balloon circumnavigation:[2]

19.1 days

Time required for first non-stop circumnavigation by aircraft:[3]

3.9 days

Time for a satellite in low-earth orbit to circumnavigate the earth:[4]

1.5 hoursTime for a satellite in geo-synchronous orbit to circumnavigate the earth:[5]

24 hoursRatio of the speed of a satellite in low earth orbit to the speed of a passenger jet:

30 to 1

Database Trivia:

(All data derived from 11-1-10 UCS Satellite Database)

The current U.S. share of active satellites:

46%.

Number of satellites launched in the 1970s that are still active:

Two.

Percent of communications satellites that are in geostationary orbits:

Over 60.

Number of countries that have communications satellites in geostationary orbits.

Over 30.

Percentage of communications satellites in GEO owned by the United States:

40.Percentage of communications satellites in LEO owned by the United States:

80.

Number of satellites currently in orbit whose primary purpose is amateur radio communications.

Three.
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Communication satellites:

Year of first prototype communication satellite[1]

1958

Year of first operational communication satellite:[2]

1962

Subject of first transatlantic live television images to be transmitted by satellite (1962):[3]Part of a baseball game between the Phillies and the CubsYear of first geosynchronous satellite:[4]

1963

Number of simultaneous two-way telephone conversations the first GEO communications satellite could

handle:[5]

1

First Olympics to broadcast pictures by GEO satellite:[6]

1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo

Mass of the first GEO satellite:[7]

85 lbs (39 kg)

Typical mass of a modern GEO communication satellite:[8]

8,000 lb (3,500 kg)

Fraction of all current active satellites used for communication:[9]60%

Risks of Space Racing:

Success rate in tests of the Soviet rocket used to launch Yuri Gagarin into space at the time of his first orbital

flight:[1]

50%

Success rate in tests of the retro rockets needed for reentry of the space capsule at time of Gagarins

launch:[2]

60%

Probability of success of Gagarins flight based on these two systems:30%

Number of people launched to space who did not return successfully:[3]

18

Number of people who died while in orbit:

0

Women in space:(as of May 1, 2009)

Time between first man in orbit and first woman in orbit:[1]

2 years

Time between first woman in orbit and second woman in orbit:[2]

19 years
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Time between first woman in orbit and first US woman in orbit :[3]

21 years

Primary qualification of Valentina Tereskova, the first woman in space, to become a cosmonaut:[4]

She was a member of a parachute club

Number of additional female cosmonauts following its first two in 1963 and 1983:[5]1

Total number of women who have been in orbit:[6]

49

Fraction of all trips to space by women by all countries:

10.6%

Country with the highest fraction of space flights by women:[7]Canada (33%)

Space Demographics:[1](as of May 1, 2009)

Number of person-years spent in space:

90.6 (0.91 person-century)

Number of different individuals launched to orbit:

500

Number of countries represented by those individuals:

36

Number of human-flights into orbit:[2]

1096

Fraction of those flights by women:

10.6%

Number of human-flights by U.S. astronauts:

773

Fraction by women:

13.6%

Number of human-flights by Soviet/Russian cosmonauts:

213
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Fraction by women:

2.3%

Most human-flights by people of other nationalities:

France (17), Germany (14), Canada (13), Japan (12)

Length of first orbital flight (by Gagarin):

1 hour 48 minutes (1 orbit)

Longest single stay in orbit:

1.2 years [3]

Longest total duration in orbit for one person:

2.2 years [4]

-----------------------------

Rapid progress in satellite development:

Date of launch of the first satellite to be placed in orbit, Sputnik 1:

October 4, 1957[1]

Time between Sputnik 1 and first animal launched into orbit:

1 month[2]

Time between Sputnik 1 and first prototype communication satellite:

1.2 years[3]

Time between Sputnik 1 and first weather satellite:

1.4 years[4]

Time between Sputnik 1 and launch of first object to reach the moon:

1.9 years[5]

Time between Sputnik 1 and first animal to successfully return from orbit:

2.8 years[6]

Time between Sputnik 1 and first human launched into orbit (Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin):

3.5 years[7]


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Time between first flight by Wright Brothers to first non-stop transatlantic airplane flight:

16 years[8]

Time between first person in orbit to first person on the moon:

8 years[9]

facts about numbers of satellites in orbit

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