Surveillance through satellite

Have you ever wonder how our television service provider can transmit the television program right in our television. This is because the transmission process occurs with the help of satellite technology. So what is satellite then? Heres some unique approach on defining satellite.

According to NASA "a satellite is a moon, planet or machine that orbits a planet or star. For example, Earth is a satellite because it orbits the sun. Likewise, the moon is a satellite because it orbits Earth. Usually, the word "satellite" refers to a machine that is launched into space and moves around Earth or another body in space."

So basically, there are thousands of man-made satellites that is being used according to its specific functions. Among them are :

1) Take pictures of the planet that help meteorologists predict weather and track hurricanes. 

2) Take pictures of other planets, the sun, black holes, dark matter or faraway galaxies thus helping scientists to understand the solar system and universe in a better way. 

3) Communications, such as beaming TV signals and phone calls around the world. 

Much to your surprise, these satellites can also be used as a surveillance device. It can also being called as reconnaissance satellite which is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications.

Military intelligence Reconnaissance satellites and Reconnaissance aircraft sensors are now being used to observe the activities of some citizens. The satellites and aircraft sensors will be able to penetrate cloud cover, detect chemical traces, and identify objects in buildings and "underground bunkers", and will provide real-time video at much higher resolutions than the still-images produced by programs such as Google Earth.

Types of reconnaissance satellites :

 

Missile Early warning

Used to warn any impending attack by detecting ballistic missile launches. One of the latest known missile early warning satellite that has been launched is the Americas' Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit satellite (SBIRS Geo-3) built by Lockheed Martin.

Nuclear explosion detection 

This type of satellites is used to identify and characterizes nuclear explosions in space. Known example is Vela satellite.

Photo surveillance 

Capturing the images of the earth from space. These Images can be a survey or close-look telephoto. Corona (satellite) is the earliest known. Spectral imaging is commonplace.

Electronic-reconnaissance 

The function of this satellites is gathering intelligence by intercepting stray radio waves. Samos-F is one of the example.

Radar imaging 

This satellites use synthetic aperture radar which can be used at night or through cloud cover. For example, the US-A series.

 

Among the mission that are using reconnaissance satellites are

• High resolution photography 
• Measurement and Signature Intelligence
• Communications eavesdropping 
• Covert communications
• Monitoring of nuclear test ban compliance 
• Detection of missile launches 

A propaganda poster about illegal spying on the people

A joint operation in inventing space surveillance