SATELLITE MISSION

Everyone has their own mission in life, even a satellite. Well, harsh as it may sound but strictly speaking, a satellite exists only for the purpose of fulfilling its mission. And honestly, without a good mission, it is hard to get funding support for development and launch. Today, we will take a look at some common satellite mission categories. These categories also serve as satellite's classification by function which I mentioned in my previous post.

Hopefully, this article will help us recognize the benefits of having a satellite. I mentioned before that space gives us opportunities to solve our problems, and these are some problems that satellite solve. I'm also actually paving the path for the sensitive topic of space economy and politics which I've been trying so hard to avoid, but well, we will get there. Haha. For now, here are your satellite missions.

Communications

Communication satellites dominate the space market. If you’ve watched NBA Live on your television, you’ve probably seen a text in the screen that says something like “Live via Satellite”. Communication capabilities provided by the satellites enable applications such as television broadcast services, telemedicine, video conferencing, and many others. 

The Philippines, a country frequented by natural disasters, relies on satellite phones to provide communication lines especially when the regular communication infrastructures are damaged by the disaster. This allows for a more efficient disaster relief operations. The country also relies on store-and-forwarding capabilities of satellites for sending and receiving messages from remote areas.

Navigation

Another popular application of satellites is on the navigation category. If you’ve used Google Earth and Waze, then you know what I’m talking about. Satellites enable us to map and determine our position on Earth and also allows accurate calculations of current local time for time synchronization. 

Ships and vessels are equipped with an automatic identification system (AIS) that allows for automatic tracking and aids in navigation and avoiding collision. AIS is also used in fishing fleet monitoring and control, maritime security, accident investigation and search and rescue operations. Some satellites are equipped with AIS receivers thus, providing support to terrestrial receivers. 

Earth observation

Satellites can be equipped with optical equipment and sensors that enable earth observation at a distance without direct contact (remote sensing). Satellites are widely used in meteorology (weather observation and prediction), scientific studies, land use and planning, agriculture and forestry, environmental and pollution tracking, disaster assessment and management, and many others. 

The Philippines is a big market of satellite images. These images are used by different sectors for various applications. As an example, the country uses satellite images for determining the extent of damages brought by disasters. The images are also used for monitoring Philippine forests and detecting forest fires and illegal logging activities. The images can also be used in monitoring the impact of mining activities to natural resources. 

R&D and Education

To reduce the cost of satellite development, space-faring groups are leaning towards commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components and modules that have lower cost than space-grade components. These COTS components and modules are tested across environment conditions and are sometimes flown as an experimental payloads to a satellite, to gain confidence and space heritage.

Satellites are also used for educational purposes. There are platforms that mimics the satellite development process and launched via drone, and are intended to let the students experience satellite development cycle. Sometimes, satellites developed by graduate students as their thesis or dissertation gets launched to space. Advanced space R&D involves human space flight and space explorations.

So, how do I choose my mission?

First, these categories are not strict categories. You can combine multiple missions from different categories in one satellite. For example, I can add a radio and a camera in one satellite, and I will have a satellite for communication and for Earth observation.


Deciding your mission is crucial because of course, you do not want to spend millions for nothing. But don't get me wrong -- missions doesn't need to be big. The key is to make it solve a problem or bridge a gap. For example, in the case of the universities, bridging the gap between the highly technical needs of the industry and the skills of their graduates would be a great mission, and these can potentially be addressed by satellite development. For the government, mechanisms for better disaster response and relief operations is highly needed by the country, and existing solutions can be complimented by satellites. 

References:

Guidebook on Small Satellite Programs, International Space University, 2011
Understanding Space: An Introduction to Astronautics, 2nd edition, Jerry Jon Sellers, McGraw Hill, USA 2004
Handbook of Space Technology by Wilfried Ley, Klaus Wittmann, Willi Hallmann