Geography · Ch 7 — Transport and Communication
Satellite Communication
Satellite Communication
Satellite communication is not a separate invention — it is the technology that makes your cell phone call, your SMS, and your cable TV programme possible. Every time you use any of these, you are using satellite communication. The textbook makes this point right at the start: satellites touch human lives in many ways, often without us noticing.
The era of communication through satellites began in the 1970s, after the United States and the former Soviet Union pioneered space research. Artificial satellites are now successfully placed in the earth’s orbit, and they can connect even the most remote corners of the globe with very little on-site verification needed. This is a huge leap from earlier communication systems that required extensive ground infrastructure.
The most remarkable feature of satellite communication is that the unit cost and time of communication do not change with distance. It costs the same to communicate over 500 km as it does over 5,000 km via satellite. This is a fundamental shift from terrestrial communication, where cost and time generally increase with distance.
India has made great strides in satellite development. The textbook lists the key milestones in chronological order:
- Aryabhatt — launched on 19 April 1975
- Bhaskar-I — launched in 1979
- Rohini — launched in 1980
- APPLE (Arian Passenger Payload Experiment) — launched on 19 June 1981 through an Arian rocket
Later satellites like Bhaskar, Challenger, and INSAT I-B have made long-distance communication, television, and radio very effective. The textbook specifically mentions that today, weather forecasting through television is a boon — made possible by these satellites. …