Museum of Space Communications
ETS-‡[ ProjectResearch on Artificial Satellite OrbitSpace-Time Standards Integration Project
Mobile Satelite Communication Group

Japanese | English

Satellites are getting bigger and smarte

If satellites are used for mobile phones, radio wave will be able to cover a large area, thus solving the problem of disconnection when mobile phones are used in cars, planes and on board ships. For more convenient communication, we need bigger and more technologically advanced satellites to meet today’s needs. Firstly, existing satellite antennas are too small to support mobile terminals on the earth; thus, radio waves from the earth must be very strong to be picked up by a satellite antenna. However, radio waves transmitted from our mobile phones are too weak to reach a satellite. Secondly, the signal sent from the earth station to the satellite does not go to the receiver but rather goes to the ground station to pass through the switchboard. It takes a long time to communicate with any receiver through a satellite. Difficulty is also encountered due to this inefficient process when a huge amount of data, such as an image, is transmitted. We are researching how to make use of bigger and more technologically advanced satellites.

See our exhibits


Home ETS-‡[ Project