Satellite technology has entered a new golden age, writes David Shapshak
In the Seventies satellites -or “birds” as they are referred to in countless science fiction and spy movies – achieved a kind of cult status, linked to the glory of the space programme; then the spy satellite in the Cold War stand-off became the observant “eye in the sky” protecting good people from the Soviet terror.
Now satellites have regained their former glory -as the next generation in communication.
First there were the clunky and expensive sat-phones. Last year a new system of satellites was launched making for global access with a satellite phone the size of a conventional cellphone.
In a few years, another system will be operational: known as Teledesic, the $9- billion, 266 satellite constellation, that counts Bill Gates as one of its backers, will offer superfast Internet downloads.
Fast Internet downloads by satellite is already available in South Africa. Internet service provider M-Web last December launched a download arm, called Siyanda.
The Net is slowed down significantly by the “copper” and connections information must pass through before it reaches your browser. But using a satellite dish, you can download hundreds of times faster than with conventional dial-up modems.
“People say, `Ja, I believe you.’ Then you show it to them and it’s like candles light up in their eyes,” says Siyanda general manager Marius Marais.
But this speed comes at a price. The satellite card will cost you R2 999, and if you don’t have a dish, you’ll have to have one of those installed. If you do have one, a small modification to allow two feeds is all that’s needed.
The computer sends requests for information with a normal modem, but receives it by satellite. A network card at the back of the computer makes it “none the wiser”, says Marais, as the computer sends a request and receives an answer without being aware of the different means they are transmitted by.
According to Siyanda’s website: “The high- speed satellite return path provides significantly improved file download rates and overall Internet experience.”
South Africa could soon launch its own satellite programme, owning and operating its own regional satellite, Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Broadcasting Jay Naidoo said last month.
He said South Africa spends between R450- million and R550-million annually on leasing satellite time. It is the 18th- largest user of Intelsat services in the world. Naidoo said he hopes to make an announcement this month about a major initiative in satellite technology training.
Satellites are one way of leapfrogging the lack of infrastructure on the continent to provide Africa’s 700-million people with access to phones. At present only 14- million people have telephones.
South Africa already has a satellite. Sunsat, Africa’s first locally produced and manufactured satellite, which was built at Stellenbosch University’s faculty of engineering, was launched into orbit last month.
Sunsat project leader Professor Garth Milne said the satellite passes over South Africa every 90 to 100 minutes, taking full- colour, high-resolution pictures which are downloaded to its ground station at the faculty of engineering.
While telecommunications are satellites’ primary application, they offer another essential service – weather prediction.
Meteorology has become a vast enterprise of its own, spawning its own network television channels and a multimillion-rand operation. This can be seen in the fact that more than 10% of the satellites launched into orbit by Arianespace, the European space transportation company, since 1981 have been for meteorology and earth observation.
South Africa’s main source of weather information is Meteosat 7, which gives the Weather Bureau hourly updates. Meteosat is a geo-stationary satellite (one which remains in a fixed position in relation to a location on earth).
Launched last September by Arianespace, Meteospace 7 will be replaced in 2001 with a more sophisticated satellite that will be able to measure moisture content on earth using new data collection platforms. These devices relay the data they collect about their earthly location to the “bird”, which collates them.
Space meteorology was born on October 13 1959, with the launch of the Explorer-7, the first satel- lite to collect data on weather conditions.
It was replaced with the television and infrared observation satellites, 10 of which were placed in polar orbit from 1960 to 1965.
The Environmental Science Services Administration took over with a new generation of satellites.
In the 1970s the Soviets took to the sky with their own Cosmos Satellites, and the French followed with their EOLE bird a year later.
By 1975 the first geostationary satellites became operational, and the United States, Japan, Europe and India started their own weather operations.
Now 10 satellites form the World Weather Watch, and together they supply the world with all its climate details.