Communications satellite

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/communications-satellite

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary technology?Transponders that receive, amplify, and retransmit signals
2. What is the key orbital positions?Geostationary Orbit (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
3. How does a communications satellite send signals?The satellite receives signals from a ground station, makes them stronger with a transponder, and sends them back to another ground station or to many people at once.
4. Why do we put communications satellites in geostationary orbit?In geostationary orbit the satellite stays over the same spot on Earth, so it can keep a steady line of sight to many people without moving, giving continuous coverage.

Transponder: A device on a satellite that receives, amplifies, and retransmits signals.
Geostationary Orbit (GEO): An orbit approximately 35,786 km above the equator, where satellites appear fixed in the sky.
Latency: The time delay for data to travel from source to destination and back.