Satellites have become an integral part of your daily life. Whether you checked a weather forecast, watched a sports news program like SportsCenter, or located your mother’s house on Google Maps, you engaged in an activity that would be unfeasible without automated spacecraft circling hundreds of miles above Earth. But how many of these satellites can you name? Below are the top ten you should know about—they’re the ones that make modern life possible.
First, two important notes: most of the satellites listed here represent an entire category of satellites. There may be other spacecraft that serve similar purposes, but the ones included are prime examples. Additionally, this list is clearly U.S.-focused. If you reside in Europe or Asia, different satellites likely fulfill the roles of these standout orbiters.
Hubble Space Telescope
By capturing thousands of stunning images unobstructed by the blurring effects of Earth’s atmosphere, the Hubble has brought the beauty and mystery of space to more people than any other observatory. What’s more, it has facilitated a vast amount of scientific research.
Galaxy 14
This communication relay satellite transmits digital TV signals to much of the U.S. East Coast, covering channels such as ESPN, Lifetime, Syfy, CNN, A&E, and the author’s personal favorite, the History Channel.
GOES-12
From its high-altitude geosynchronous orbit, GOES-12 maintains constant surveillance of weather conditions across most of North America.
The Moon
Tides, werewolf lore, the Apollo Program—none of these would exist without Earth’s natural satellite.
KH-13
This U.S. spy satellite is so classified that even its name is probably incorrect (after the public figured out the KH numbering system, the government began assigning random names to such satellites). No one can say for sure what capabilities today’s top-secret, black-budget satellite intelligence-gathering devices possess.
GPS IIR11
The U.S. government’s NAVSTAR program first introduced global positioning capabilities to the military before making them available to the general public. The system relies on a constellation of these satellites, so IIR11 is just one component of the larger network. Without it, activities like geocaching wouldn’t exist!
GoldenEye
Equipped with the ability to emit an electromagnetic (EM) pulse that could erase an entire nation’s financial records, GoldenEye is a typical example of fictional satellites. It also embodies our fears of orbiting weapons systems.
International Space Station (ISS)
A symbol of international collaboration, the ISS serves as a frontier outpost in humanity’s pursuit of space colonization. Its low Earth orbit makes it one of the easiest satellites to spot with the naked eye.
NOAA 17
Unlike GOES satellites, NOAA satellites operate in asynchronous orbits, circling the globe to detect emerging weather patterns that impact billions of people worldwide.
LANDSAT 7
In the 1970s, NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey partnered to create an archive of Earth images captured from space. Since then, not only has the quality of this data improved drastically with advances in digital photography, but numerous companies—including Google—have licensed these images for use in their mapping software.
