The satellite has now forcefully entered our lives, even if we often don’t realize it. If we can follow the Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Olympics, or the World Cup in real time, or watch events happening overseas, it is only thanks to satellites. And it is also thanks to them that we can talk on the phone with a friend or relative on the other side of the world.
Journalists and technicians, war correspondents for global radio and television networks, as well as for news agencies and major newspapers, stationed in Baghdad or at strategic bases in neighboring countries, have been able to inform the public in their respective nations—and the entire world—in real time, thanks to their satellite mobile phones and satellite terminals.
Even in the middle of the desert or in the rugged mountain regions of the hinterland, the ability to connect directly to a satellite—without relying on ground-based repeaters, which were often destroyed by bombings or deliberately shut down for strategic reasons—has allowed journalists on the front lines to report their detailed war accounts, consistently anticipating the official statements on the course of the ongoing conflict.
Welcome back!
Satellites have now become an integral part of our lives, even if we often don’t realize it.
If we can follow the Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Olympics, or the Football World Cup in real time — or watch events happening far away — it’s only thanks to satellites.
And it’s also thanks to them that we’re able to talk on the phone with a friend or relative on the other side of the world.
Beyond enabling our live broadcasts, global phone calls and remote event viewing, satellites play a vital role in many other fields:
Firstly, they are essential for navigation and timing. Systems like GPS, Galileo and others provide extremely accurate location and timing signals that underpin everything from picking a café “near me” on your smartphone to managing logistics across continents.
This means when you drive a car, fly in a plane, send a parcel, or even trade on the stock-market, behind the scenes there are satellites helping to ensure the timing and positioning work correctly.
Secondly, satellites enable Earth observation and environmental monitoring. They carry cameras and sensors that monitor land, sea and atmosphere: tracking climate change (for example rising sea-levels or melting glaciers), deforestation, floods, wildfires, oil spills and air pollution.
Thanks to them, authorities can identify disaster zones quickly, provide early warning systems and help plan responses to environmental crises.
Thirdly, they support scientific research and space exploration. Satellites observe the Sun, other planets, and deep-space phenomena; they collect data on Earth’s own systems which would be impossible to gather from the surface alone.
In doing so, they deepen our understanding of weather, climate, Earth’s geology, and the broader universe.
Lastly, in many remote or hard-to-reach areas on Earth, satellites provide communication and connectivity where terrestrial infrastructure is unavailable or damaged. They enable internet, broadcasting, telephone coverage and relay services over oceans, deserts, mountains and disaster-areas.
This means people living far off the beaten path can still access information, education, emergency services and connect with others around the world.
