2011
2011 – Satellite Orbits – Snapshot
The closer proximity to the Earth also greatly reduces signal delay from a LEO satellite to ground stations and allows for smaller receivers on the ground. While minimizing signal delay is not vital for DTH services or corporate networks, it makes the orbit ideal for voice traffic being sent directly to handheld devices. These lower orbits are challenging since the satellites constantly move in and out of view of individual ground receivers. If it is necessary to maintain a continuous link despite the movement of the satellites, a fleet of spacecraft is required to form a constellation.
2011 – Satellite Overview – Snapshot
Telecommunications technology has made the world a much more intimate place. This is in no small part due to satellites circling the globe providing communications, scientific research, broadcasting, navigation, imagery, and support for national defense efforts. The first satellite, Sputnik, was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957 and served to demonstrate that man-made objects can reach and maintain a simple orbit. This small craft with limited instrumentation did little more than measure the density of the upper atmosphere and provide information on how radio waves propagate through the ionosphere.
2011 – Solar Orbital Systems
Researchers are deploying ever more sophisticated instruments to provide insight into the behavior of the Sun, which supplies our planet with the basic energy needed for life. In October 2011, ESA selected the Solar Orbiter as one of its two medium-class missions.
2011 – Iran, Sea Launch – Snapshot
Two other space programs made news in 2011, as space newcomer Iran successfully conducted ## launch and the multinational commercial venture Sea Launch resumed operations after a hiatus of nearly two and a half years.
2011 – India Launch Efforts – Snapshot
India had a successful year in 2011, launching ## rockets without any of the failures that plagued its 2010 launch season. All ## launches used the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). While the rocket’s nomenclature hints at its original purpose to place satellites into polar orbit, over time it has launched medium-weight satellites into a variety of orbits.
2011 – Japan Launch Efforts – Snapshot
The Japanese space program continued operations at its usual pace with ## launches in 2011. The first launch occurred in January and sent the second H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) to its rendezvous and docking with the ISS. Much like the European ATV, the HTV is an uncrewed cargo vehicle designed to dock with the ISS and transfer dry cargo, fuel, and water to the station, before being loaded with the station’s garbage and sent back to Earth to burn up in the atmosphere.
2011 – Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Systems
Note: This exhibit is from The Space Report 2012.
2011 – European Launch Efforts – Snapshot
Europe made progress in 2011 toward expanding its range of launch options. Europe conducted ## launches of its workhorse Ariane 5 rocket. ## of those were standard dual-payload commercial launches, each lifting two communications satellites into orbit for commercial clients. The first Ariane 5 launch of 2011, conducted in February, was the exception and placed an Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) into orbit to rendezvous and dock with the ISS.
2011 – China’s Launch efforts – Snapshot
China’s annual total of ## flights surpassed its previous record of ## launches set in 2010. Additionally, 2011 marked the first year that China conducted more orbital launches than the United States, which performed ## launches in 2011. China’s increased launch rate over the last two years was mainly attributable to launches that placed satellites for China’s Beidou navigation system into orbit.
2011 – Russia’s Launch Efforts – Snapshot
Russia entered 2011 in the midst of an investigation into the loss of a Proton rocket carrying three Russian government navigation satellites in December 2010. Russian space officials scrambled to determine the cause of the loss, which was eventually determined to be the over-fueling of an upper stage. Problems continued to arise in 2011, leading to the loss of ## launch vehicles and the Phobos-Grunt mission to Mars. Nevertheless, Russia maintained its place as the world’s most-frequent launch provider with ## launches.