The U.S. military and the forces of allied nations used more than 9,000 GPS receivers during Operation Desert Storm. Photo courtesy NASA Taken while the Clementine spacecraft was orbiting the moon. Photo courtesy NASA Advanced Communications Technology Satellite, launched in 1993, used multiple antennas for narrow-beam transmissions. 22,223 Miles - Geostationary Orbits Weather forecasts visually bombard us each day with weather satellite imagery from space satellites, typically 22,223 miles over the equator. You can directly receive many of the actual satellite images using radio receivers and special personal computer software.
Many countries use weather satellites for their weather forecasting and storm observations.
Data, television, image, and some telephone transmissions are routinely received and rebroadcast by communications satellites, typically 22,223 miles over the equator. It takes the voice communications that long to travel all the way up to the satellite and back to Earth. The round-trip delay forces many to use telephone conversations via a satellite only when no other links exist. Currently, voice over the Internet is experiencing a similar delay problem, but in this case, due to digital compression and bandwidth limitations rather than distance. Communications satellites are essentially radio relay stations in space.