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Introduction to Satellite Systems

• A satellite is an artificial object which is placed intentionally into an orbit of any natural satellite. Satellites are used for many purposes i.e. weather forecasting, digital transmission, scientific research and development etc.
• In a communication context, a satellite is a specialized wireless transmitter/receiver that is launched by a rocket and placed in orbit around the earth.
• A satellite can be natural, like the moon, or artificial (human made). So we can say that a satellite is an object that moves in a curved path around a planet.

• Satellite can travel around planets or around stars such as our sun. All the planets are satellites around the sun.
• Satellites which are far away from the surface of the earth can cover a wide area on the surface of the earth.
• The moon is earth’s original, natural satellite, and there are many man-made (artificial) satellites for example: SPUTNIK, ECHO, and SYNCOM.

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