• All satellites need to have some means of communication with Earth; the satellite may need to receive instructions and transmit the information it collects, or it may relay information sent to it to another site on Earth
• This is generally done using some type of antenna
• Antennas are defined simply as a piece of equipment that allows transmission and reception of radio signals
• Since the information is transmitted using radio waves, which move at the speed of light, this method allows for very fast communications (only a very small time lag)
• Antennas come in many families: simple, dishes, patch arrays, and inflatable.

---

Home | Types & Uses | Anatomy of a Satellite | Canadian Satellite Q&A
You Be the Engineer | Image Gallery | Glossary | Credits

Produced by Galactics.
Comments: galactics@spacesim.org.
Last updated on: 8 August 1997.