Uses of artificial satellites

Artificial satellites are designed for scientific research as well as entertainment. They also give us valuable information about the atmosphere of the Earth. Some of their uses are discussed below.

Communication: Some satellites are used to send signals for television programmes from one place to another.

Weather forecasting: Some satellites help us predict the weather by taking pictures of the movements of clouds. They are called meteorological satellites. They give us early warnings of dangerous storms, cyclones, forest fires, floods or moving glaciers. This helps us in disaster management efforts. These satellites also monitor rainfall. This helps our farmers plan the cultivation of their crops better.

Remote sensing: Some satellites help us map different parts of the Earth. They help us know the location of the different physical features (mountains, islands, plateaus, rivers and so on).

Artificial Satellites in Space

The world’s first artificial satellite was launched into space on 4 October, 1957. Today, many countries have their own space programmes for developing different satellites and launch vehicles. India also has a strong space programme. It launched its first communication satellite, Aryabhatta, in 1975. Today, India’s GSAT (Geostationary Satellites) satellites are used for the purpose of audio-visual communication.

IRS-1A, India’s first remote sensing satellite, was launched on 17 March, 1988. A remote sensing satellite helps scan the Earth's surface so that scientists can study and learn more about the Earth. Today, several highly advanced Indian Earth Observation (EO) Satellites are floating in space.