6 Artificial Satellites in the World

In this article, I'm going to share five of the most revolutionary satellites currently orbiting Earth and explain how they are impacting our world. So without further ado—fasten your seatbelt, we're about to take off!

5 Artificial Satellites in the World

An Overview of Artificial Satellites

So what is an artificial satellite? It’s a man-made machine, launched into orbit by a spacecraft, designed to transmit and collect information about our planet’s atmosphere, land surface, water resources, weather systems and more.

The Hubble Space Telescope: Exploring the Universe

Have you ever taken a look up and wondered what lies beyond? The Hubble Space Telescope can help you answer that question! Launched in 1990, the Hubble has been investigating our universe, producing some of the most impressive images of galaxies and nebulas we've ever seen.

The telescope operates outside our atmosphere, allowing it to capture images of space like never before. Its ultra-sensitive detectors record data from infrared and ultraviolet spectrums—allowing the telescope to observe stellar birth and death, the formation of stars and planets, as well as explore black holes and dark energy.

Perhaps one of its crowning achievements is the Deep Field series: a magnificent collection of deep space images gathered over 10 days. This series revealed thousands of galaxies that no human had seen before—and some were so far away that their light took billions of years to reach us.

The Hubble Space Telescope has no doubt changed our understanding of the universe, giving us invaluable new insight into deep space.

The International Space Station: Researching in Orbit

Did you know, the International Space Station (ISS) has been orbiting our planet since 1998, and is helping us to gain a better understanding of our world? The ISS helps us to detect and monitor climate change, track natural disasters and study the environment from up close.

The ISS carries six Earth-observing instruments for data collection:

The Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) is used to measure Earth's radiation balance, which helps us to understand how weather patterns are changing over time.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is a wide-angle camera that collects imagery used in tracking wildfires, vegetation health, air quality measurements and long-term trends in surface temperature.
Eco-hazard detection system enables the collection of data on floods, hurricanes and other extreme weather events which could be detrimental to life on Earth.
The Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor measures ocean color concentrations along with vegetation growth from space.
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) provides insights into changes in global climate that can be used for agricultural planning and assessing ozone levels in the atmosphere.
Finally, we have the Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor Satellite (ACRIMSAT) which monitors total solar energy received by our planet which when changing can have an impact on climate patterns on earth.

The Landsat 8 Satellite: Mapping Earth’s Resources

So what about number four? Say hello to the Landsat 8 Satellite! This incredible technology is used for mapping Earth's resources, providing images of our planet in near-real-time. Looking at a map produced with Landsat 8 might make you think of an old-fashioned quilt — with the data displayed in vibrant colors that show differences between plants and other land cover.

Landsat 8 can accomplish this amazing work in part because it's equipped with thermal and reflective infrared sensors. These sensors allow Landsat 8 to capture details like soil temperature, land use and snow cover, so scientists can better understand our environment. And thanks to its high spatial resolution — which allows us to see objects on Earth as small as 15 meters — Landsat 8 has contributed greatly to our understanding of climate change and natural disasters like floods.

In fact, Landsat 8 data has been used for all kinds of research related to environmental change, including population growth and urbanization, natural resource management and sustainable farming practices. So next time you look at a map or use an Earth-mapping app, you can thank the innovative design behind the Landsat 8 satellite.

GOES-R Satellite: Monitoring Weather and Natural Disasters

You may not have heard of the GOES-R satellite, but did you know it's revolutionizing the way we monitor weather and natural disasters? It's true—GOES-R is the first in a new generation of satellites from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The GOES-R satellite does a number of things to help us monitor our planet better. These include:

Gathering data about changes in sea surface temperature
Tracking lightning across North American and the Caribbean
Monitoring cloud cover, snow cover, and severe weather events like hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods
Measuring atmospheric ozone to protect us from ultraviolet radiation

Future of Artificial Satellites

As you can see, artificial satellites are being used in a variety of ways that are changing our planet. But the future of artificial satellites will be even more exciting!

Here’s a few of the most incredible things artificial satellites could do in the near future:

More Accurate Weather Predictions

Satellites are used for predicting weather patterns and can provide much more accurate forecasts than what we have today. This could help us better prepare for extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes and floods.

Reducing Carbon Emissions

Satellites can also monitor carbon emissions from factories and other sources, allowing us to track and manage our environmental impact in real-time. This data could be used to inform policy decisions that would reduce emissions and protect our planet.

Faster Internet Connections

With more satellites orbiting the Earth, it would be possible to provide faster internet connections with lower latency to remote locations that don’t have existing infrastructure. This would open up many new opportunities, such as providing education and healthcare services to rural areas that don’t have a reliable connection today.

It's clear that artificial satellites are here to stay—and they will continue to shape our future in exciting ways!

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