Introduction
Satellite communications are the kind of communications that are specifically targeted for communication between radio stations on earth through a radio station that is set up on spacecraft. Most of these communication systems use geostationary satellites. They provide a technology for microwave radio relay. They are also largely applicable for mobile applications like those used in communication to ships, planes et cetera. The development of satellite communication has been very rapid during the past 20 years.
Space and electronic technologies have also increased tremendously overtime. This has enabled the satellite to remain updated on the growing and changing needs of the users. The satellites have also been enabled to grow in many dimensions like capacity, performance and reliability among other related areas. According to Edelson & Cooper, Satellites have been widely used in “long-distance trunks for telephone circuits and television program distribution” [1].
They are also used in geographically remote areas with little communication infrastructure or where the infrastructures are not well poorly developed like in the cases of third world countries. They have also been in use for decades in television signals. They transmit signals from the television companies’ network hub to their affiliated networks and this has enhanced the efficiency in transmitting these signals.
The History of Satellites
The field of satellite communications then began on the experiments that used orbiting satellites. The first experiment, the Trans-Pacific television satellite-relay, took place in 1963. This was a great move in the field but it created a great shock since it put about the news of the tragic death of the former US president J.F Kennedy that occurred by assassination. According to Iida [5], the satellite communications by Geostationary was first proposed by a famous science writer, Arthur Clarke.
In his work, “wireless world” in 1945, he explained how man made satellites in a circular stationery orbit 36,000 kilometers above geostationary orbits and he suggests that such technologies could be launched around the same period. His suggestion was later worked on by innovators. The technology has since then been growing at a recommendable rate.
Satellite communications are a result of research that was that was carried out in the area of communication and space technologies. This research was carried out with the object to attain ever increasing ranges and capacities and capacities with the lowest possible costs. The emergence of the satellite communications technology has the roots in the missiles and the microwaves technology which expanded greatly following the stimulation of the Second World War.
The expertise that embarked on the effort to combine the two technologies, missiles and the microwaves technology opened up the era of satellite communications. This new technology provided the like services with terrestrial networks using radio and cables. Sputnik was the first artificial satellite to be launched by the former Soviet Union in 1957, the outset of the space error.
This first satellite worked with an on-board radio transmitter. There were two frequencies that aided the transmitter, that is, 20.005 and 40.002 MHz. In 1958 America launched Project SCORE as the first satellite to relay communication and which happened in the same year. This satellite relied on a tape recorder for it to work efficiently especially while storing and forwarding the voice messages.
This satellite was for used by President Eisenhower, D.D. of the United States of America in sending Christmas greetings from the US to the rest of the world. NASA, an agent of the US government in the executive branch launched in 1960 another satellite called Echo Satellite. The world’s first active repeater satellite was courier 1B that was put in place in 1960, around the same time Echo Satellite was launched.
Use of Satellites by the military, types of satellites used and their specifications
The extent of Use of satellites by the military
During the space age, satellites communication has been very paramount in the military. In the United States, for instance, beginning in 1946, the use of the satellite communications in the military has increased tremendously following achievement of radar with the moon. In 1954, the US navy conducted a communication experiment with the moon as the reflector. Following this experiment, there was put in place in 1959 an operational communication link that aided military communication between Hawaii and Washington, D.C.
Satellites have overtime gained prominence among the military activities and have become widely used. For instance, the security related activities of the military greatly require the use of satellites. Activities like verifying compliance with the arms control treaties requires intensive use of satellites.
There are also direct support military operations that require great input of the satellite communications technology. According to Postnote, “During the 2004 Iraq war, 68% of munitions were satellite guided (up from 10% in the 1991 Iraq War)” (Postnote, 2006, pg. 1). With the new technology of satellite communication, many countries have now embarked on military space activities.
This increasing adoption of satellite technology in space military activities has been enhanced by a number of factors which include: there has been increasing availability of commercial satellite data that are compatible and apt for use in the military, there is also availability of launch facilities in countries like US, Japan, Israel and India among others and other countries can pay to use, there is also move towards small satellites that are affordable to use.
In the UK also there is widespread use of satellite communication in the military. For instance, the British military launched a high-tech satellite for communication from Kourou in French Guiana, South America which is for use by the British military forces for communication with the UK armed forces. The Skynet 5C will be relaying communication signals between the armed forces in UK and British headquarters and those that have been deployed to various parts of the world.
The new satellites will facilitate the functioning of Skynets 5A and 5B sateklites which are already in existence. According to Staff Writers, following the launch of Skynet 5C, “Baroness Taylor, Minister for Defence Equipment and Support said that This important milestone is yet more good news for our armed forces and that The Skynet 5 constellation is a huge step forward in data capacity” [4].
He added that (p.g 1) “With the successful commissioning of Skynets 5A and 5B, and now the launch of Skynet 5C, we have a very significant improvement in our global communications systems and the means of assuring it.” [4]. this shows that the technology is very paramount in the military space activities. In the UK military forces, the satellites communication is also used in the field of welfare services in relaying messages from service personnel who are on operations to their family and friends and vice versa.
It has been noted by Postnote [3] that the UK’s main strength is in Telecoms and the Skynet network offers great support to the armed forces. These services have been provided through a private contractor called Paradigm since the year 2005. He also notes 3that the UK does not have its own military satellites but has been relying on the US for any space based form of security and defense technology.
The use of satellites in military activities has increased greatly over time and it seems that the trend will continue in the coming decades. About 45 countries had launched satellites by 2005 and other countries like china and India were coming up strongly. India had planned its first military satellite to take place by 2007.
Types of military satellites and their specifications
There are various types of satellites that are applicable to the military space activities. These are described below.
Anti-Satellite weapons
These satellites are made specifically to incapacitate other satellites used by the opponent or otherwise for strategic military purposes. These are not common satellites among countries but are currently found in countries like US, Russia and the republic of china. There are meant to disable other satellites where a need to do so fall due.
They are also used to destroy enemy warheads and other space assets as may be identified by the military. These satellites may be designed to have particle weapons, energy weapons, nuclear weapons among other components depending on the kind of weapon it is designed to disable.
Military communication satellites
These are satellites that are designed to link communications centers to the front line operators. These have been widely used in the in the USA ns Russia in the military systems. They are designed to provide reliable, continuous, interoperable and secure communications between different military units among themselves and between them and the command centers. They are meant to ensure military superiority in the battle field as well as streamlining military commands and control.
They are designed to provide services such as reliable networks of voice and broadband data services for command and control and telephony backbone services in the remote areas and where there is a wide network for data applications. There are also field services such as voice, data, and video services between military forces in the deployment area and the headquarters. Terrestrial back-up is another form of military communication satellites.
This is meant for barking up communication for services for disaster areas especially where there are no communications infrastructures or where they have been destroyed. There is also back-up for technical coordination links for critical locations. Another service is air craft control which provides secure and reliable communication among control towers as well as conveying information between pilots and towers.
There is also video conferencing and telemedicine network which provides a broadband communication between field medical crews and major hospitals. The other service is border control and custom network which provide secure global communication services for surveillance operation inside and outside the country.
The communication satellites are set up in space so as to accomplish their purpose of providing communication and coordination services to the military. They are designed to work compatibly with Low Earth Orbits, Molniya orbits or geosynchronous orbits depending on the purpose for which they are used.
Reconnaissance satellites
They are also called as spy satellites and they are used for gathering intelligence information on the military activities of foreign countries. They use their collection of electromagnetic sensors, electoral optical detectors high resolution imaging systems to collect specific types of information over denied area of interest to intelligence community analysts.
Reconnaissance satellites are of four types including: Image Intelligence (IMINT), Signal Intelligence (SIGINT), Early Warning satellites and Nuclear Explosion Detection Satellites all of which play a significant role in military activities. SIGINT satellites are used for detecting transmissions from both broad cast communications and non communications systems like radar, and such related electronic systems [2]. They intercept and decrypt government, military and diplomatic communications transmitted by radio and other sources.
These satellites also receive elementary signals during ballistic missile tests and relay radio messages from CIA agents in foreign counties. They are capable of capturing radio and microwave transmissions emitted from any country and send them to advanced stations equipped with supercomputers for analysis.
SIGINT satellites comprise a category individual or all COMINT, ELINT, and FISI. COMINT stands for communication intelligence, ELINT means electronic intelligence and then there is FISI which stands for foreign instrumentation signals intelligence. These are the main specifications of the SIGNIT satellite technology. It is recommended that for continuous and interception of communication channels, these satellites should be placed at higher attitudes for them to be able to carry out both COMINT and ELINT operations.
Military weather forecasting satellites
These satellites provide weather information which is very useful in planning military operations. These are used to gather data where it is not possible to get traditional data. In the Intelligent Preparation of Battlefield, there is dire need to analyze the weather conditions and terrain among other environmental factors. This is because of the impact they have on the military operations. These satellites have sensors that enable them to observe the earth in several discrete bands of the electromagnetic scale.
Military navigation satellites
These are navigation systems that indicate the exact location of soldiers, military aircraft, and military vehicles among others. Military navigations also guide a new generation of missiles to their targets.
Space weapons
These are weapons that travel through space to strike their intended targets. They are used in the warfare and are controlled from space or otherwise. They are designed to attach space systems in orbit, or in fighting the targeted group on the earth from the space. They may also include anti-satellite weapons that are used in incapacitating missiles that are travelling through space. These weapons may be classified on the basis of physical location of the weapon and also the intended target [3]. These categories include space-to-space weapons, earth-to-space weapons and space to earth weapons.
The latest technology in satellites communication field
The field of satellite communication is a fast growing field and has recorded significant advancement in the past few decades. The need to communicate using satellites in the world is steadily increasing. According to Toyoshima, “Within a few years, the data rate of such satellites will exceed 1 Gbps, the angular resolution of sensors will bless than 1 μrad, and the memory size of onboard data recorders will be beyond 1 Tbytes” [2].
GeoEye 1 is one of the latest technologies launched in the field of satellite technology. It was launched in 2008 on September and was meant to improve how satellite images are delivered. It is the most common and powerful commercial imaging satellites. GeoEye incorporated are strong and fast growing companies. They basically deal with satellite photography.
The US recently launched the latest high tech weather satellites to enable the military be able to analyze the weather conditions. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-P is meant to keep watch on the storm development and also detect the weather conditions on earth from high in space. Despite GOES-P and GeoEye there are many other technologies that have come up in the field of satellite in many countries.
The field is also in tremendous dynamism that is adapting itself frequently with the other emerging technologies like the information communication technology.
Conclusion
Satellite communication systems are in great use in the military space activities. The increasing need to undertake space activities has greatly caused many countries to adopt the technology. This has made it easy for the military to undertake most of its activities. For instance, the military weather forecasting satellite enables the military to detect the weather conditions before planning for any space activity.
Some of the satellites used by the military include Anti-Satellite weapons Military communication satellites, Reconnaissance satellites, Military weather forecasting satellites, Military navigation satellites and Space weapons. The field has been growing over time and might continue to grow due to the increasing needs of use of satellites by the military.
Reference List
- Edelson B.I. and Cooper R.S. Business Use of Satellite Communications. Virginia: Department of Defense; 1982. Web.
- Toyoshima M. Trends in satellite communications and the role of Optical free-space communications. Koganei: Institute of Communications and Radio-Frequency Engineering, Vienna University of Technology; N. d. Web.
- Postnote., Military uses of space. Parliamentary office of science and technology, Number 273, pp 1-3; 2006. Web.
- Staff Writers., Launch of British Military Satellite Makes It A Skynet Hat-Trick. Delaware: SpaceDaily. 2008. [Web.
- Iida T. Satellite communications: system and its design technology. Amsterdam: IOS Press; 2000.