Satellites support astronomy and space science by carrying instruments above Earth's atmosphere, observing wavelengths and environments that are difficult or impossible to study from the ground. Major scientific uses include space telescope observations,^[35][36] cosmic microwave background mapping,^[37] gamma-ray astronomy,^[38] infrared astronomy,^[39][40] X-ray astronomy,^{[41]: 49–58} planetary science,^[42] solar observation,^[43] and space physics.^[44]

• Satellite system (astronomy)

• Cosmic microwave background missions

• Cosmic Background Explorer - NASA satellite of the Explorer program.^[45]
• Cosmic microwave background – Trace radiation from the early universe..^[37][46]
• Lambda-CDM model – Mathematical model of the Big Bang.^[47]
• Planck (spacecraft) - Space observatory.^[48]
• Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe – NASA satellite of the Explorer program.^[49][50]

• Gamma-ray observatories

• AGILE (satellite) – X-ray and gamma ray astronomical satellite
• Compton Gamma Ray Observatory – NASA space observatory designed to detect X-rays and gamma rays (1991–2000)
• Compton Spectrometer and Imager – Space observatory to study gamma rays
• Gamma-ray astronomy – Observational astronomy performed with gamma rays
• Gamma-ray Burst Monitor – Space telescope for gamma-ray astronomy launched in 2008
• INTEGRAL – European space telescope for observing gamma rays

• Infrared observatories

• Akari (satellite) – Infrared astronomy satellite developed by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
• Infrared astronomy – Observation of infrared wavelengths
• Infrared Space Observatory – Orbital satellite telescope
• IRAS – Infrared space observatory
• Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer – NASA satellite of the Explorer program

• Planetary science orbiters

• 2001 Mars Odyssey – NASA orbiter for geology and hydrology
• Akatsuki (spacecraft) – Japanese orbiter mission to Venus (2010–2024)
• BepiColombo – ESA/JAXA mission to study Mercury in orbit (2018–present)
• Cassini–Huygens – Mission to Saturn (1997–2017)
• Chandrayaan-2 – Indian lunar mission (2019–Present)
• Juno (spacecraft) – Second NASA orbiter mission to Jupiter (2011–Present)
• Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter – NASA robotic spacecraft orbiting the moon
• Mars Express – European orbiter mission to Mars (2003–present)
• Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter – NASA spacecraft active since 2005
• MAVEN – NASA Mars orbiter (2013–2025)
• MESSENGER – NASA mission to Mercury
• Planetary science – Science of planets and planetary systems
• Venus Express – European orbiter mission to Venus (2005–2015)

• Solar observatories

• Hinode (satellite) – Japanese satellite
• Parker Solar Probe – NASA probe of the Sun's outer corona
• Solar and Heliospheric Observatory – European space observatory
• Solar Dynamics Observatory – NASA mission, launched in 2010 to GSO
• Solar Orbiter – European space-based solar observatory
• STEREO – Solar observation mission (2006–present)

• Space physics and magnetospheric satellites

• Advanced Composition Explorer – NASA satellite of the Explorer program, at SE-L1 from 1997
• Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiment – Space experiment satellite
• C/NOFS – U.S. Air Force communications outage prediction satellite (2008–2015)
• Cluster II (spacecraft) – European Space Agency space mission
• Colorado Inner Radiation Belt Experiment
• Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment
• CRRES – NASA satellite
• Double Star (satellite) – Chinese-European joint satellite
• Drag and Atmospheric Neutral Density Explorer
• Dual Air Density Explorer – NASA satellite of the Explorer program
• Dynamics Explorer – NASA satellite of the Explorers Program
• ELFIN – University of California, Los Angeles developed cubesats
• Geotail – NASA/ISAS spacecraft
• IMAGE (spacecraft) – NASA satellite of the Explorer program
• Interstellar Boundary Explorer – NASA satellite of the Explorer program
• Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission – Four NASA robots studying Earth's magnetosphere (2015–present)
• Polar (satellite) – NASA science spacecraft which studied the polar magnetosphere until 2008
• Space physics – Study of space plasmas in the Solar System
• THEMIS – NASA satellite of the Explorer program
• Van Allen Probes – NASA Earth magnetosphere investigator satellites

• Space telescopes

• List of space telescopes

• Chandra X-ray Observatory – NASA space telescope launched in 1999
• Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope – Space telescope for gamma-ray astronomy launched in 2008
• Hubble Space Telescope – NASA/ESA space telescope launched in 1990
• James Webb Space Telescope – NASA/ESA/CSA space telescope launched in 2021
• Space telescope – Instrument in space to study astronomical objects
• Spitzer Space Telescope – NASA infrared space telescope (2003–2020)
• XMM-Newton – X-ray space observatory

• X-ray observatories

• Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics – Japanese cosmic X-ray astronomy mission
• BeppoSAX – Italian-Dutch satellite used for X-ray astronomy
• Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory – NASA satellite of the Explorer program
• NuSTAR – NASA X-ray space telescope of the Explorer program
• X-ray astronomy – Branch of astronomy that uses X-ray observation

Communications satellites relay voice, video, data, Internet, broadcast, mobile, and emergency communications through links between Earth stations, user terminals, and other spacecraft.^[22] Major communications applications include fixed-satellite service,^[53] mobile satellite service,^[54] satellite television,^[55]: 207 satellite radio,^[56][57] satellite Internet access,^[58][59] direct-to-device services, inter-satellite links,^[60] and satellite-aided search and rescue.^[61]

• Fixed-satellite service

• Fixed-satellite service – Telecommunication subcategory

• Standards

• DVB-S – 1995 digital TV standard for satellite television
• DVB-S2 – Digital satellite television standard

• Ground equipment

• Satellite modem – Type of modem
• Very-small-aperture terminal – Satellite communication system with small dish antenna

• Mobile-satellite service

• Broadband Global Area Network – Global satellite network
• Globalstar – Global satellite telecommunications company
• Inmarsat – British satellite communications company
• Iridium Communications – American satellite communications company

• Iridium satellite constellation – Satellite constellation providing voice and data coverage

• Marisat – Series of communications satellites
• Mobile satellite service – Service for mobile phones to communicate with satellites
• Orbcomm – American wireless networking and telecommunications company
• Satellite phone – Type of mobile phone
• Thuraya – UAE-based satellite telecommunications company

• Broadcasting-satellite service

• Satellite television – Broadcasting of television using artificial satellites

• Satellite radio

• 1worldspace – Defunct satellite radio network
• Satellite radio – Broadcasting-satellite service
• SiriusXM – American radio broadcasting corporation
• WorldSpace – Defunct satellite radio network

• Satellite Internet

• Amazon Leo – Amazon satellite constellation and internet service
• Eutelsat OneWeb – Global communications company
• O3b – Group of telecommunications satellites
• Satellite Internet access – Satellite-provided Internet
• Starlink – SpaceX satellite Internet constellation
• Telesat – Canadian satellite communications company

• Direct-to-device

• AST SpaceMobile – American satellite manufacturer
• Lynk Global – American satellite communications company

• Inter-satellite links

• Inter-satellite service – Radiocommunication between artificial satellites
• Laser communication in space – Communication using lasers in outer space
• Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System – Network of American communications satellites^[7]

• Emergency communications

• Emergency communication system – Communication system used for emergency coordination
• International Cospas-Sarsat Programme – International satellite-aided search and rescue initiative

Earth observation satellites and remote sensing satellites collect data about Earth's land, oceans, atmosphere, ice, climate, and human activity.^[62][23] Their applications include precision agriculture,^[63] climate monitoring, disaster response,^{[64][65][66][67]} environmental monitoring,^[68] hyperspectral imaging,^[69][70] laser altimetry,^[71] multispectral imaging,^{[72][73][74][75][76]} oceanography, synthetic-aperture radar,^[77] and urban planning.^[78]

• Agricultural monitoring

• Enhanced vegetation index – Index for improving vegetation monitoring
• EuCROPIS – German satellite
• Normalized difference vegetation index – Metric quantifying vegetation density
• Precision agriculture – Farming management strategy

• Climate monitoring

• Climate Data Record
• Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System – NASA satellite climate data instruments
• Copernicus Climate Change Service – European Union scientific programme
• Greenhouse gas monitoring – Measurement of greenhouse gas emissions and levels
• Space-based measurements of carbon dioxide – Used to help answer questions about Earth's carbon cycle

• Disaster monitoring

• Disaster Monitoring Constellation – Satellite constellation
• Flood – Water overflow submerging usually-dry land
• International Charter Space and Major Disasters – Non-binding multinational alliance
• Wildfire – Uncontrolled fire in forests or open spaces

• Environmental monitoring

• Air pollution – Presence of dangerous substances in the air
• Deforestation – Conversion of forest to non-forest for human use
• Environmental monitoring – Monitoring of the quality of the environment
• Global Forest Change dataset – Landsat-based dataset of global tree cover change
• Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols
• Ozone monitoring instrument – Earth observation satellite
• Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer

• Hyperspectral imaging

• Airborne visible/infrared imaging spectrometer
• Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean – Observation sensor on the International Space Station
• Hyperspectral imaging – Multi-wavelength imaging method
• Imaging spectrometer
• Spectrometer – Used to measure spectral components of light

• Ice monitoring

• Arctic Weather Satellite – European weather satellite
• CryoSat – ESA programme monitoring polar ice using satellites
• CryoSat-2 – European Space Agency environmental research satellite
• Cryosphere – Earth's surface where water is frozen
• Glacier – Persistent body of ice that moves downhill under its own weight
• Ice sheet – Large mass of glacial ice
• Sea ice – Outcome of seawater as it freezes

• Land observation

• Advanced Land Observing Satellite – Japanese earth observation satellite (2006–2011)
• GRACE – Joint American-German space mission to map Earth's gravitational field
• GRACE-FO – Joint American-German space mission to map Earth's gravitational field
• Land cover – Physical material covering the surface of Earth
• Land use – Classification of land resources based on what can be built and on its use
• Soil moisture – Water content of the soil
• Soil Moisture Active Passive – NASA earth monitoring satellite
• Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity – ESA earth observation satellite

• Laser altimetry

• Digital elevation model – 3D computer-generated imagery and measurements of terrain
• ICESat – NASA satellite to observe ice sheets, clouds, and land (2003–2010)
• ICESat-2 – NASA Earth observation satellite
• Lidar – Method of spatial measurement using laser

• Multispectral imaging

• Advanced Land Imager – Former Earth Observation Satellite
• Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer – Japanese imaging device aboard NASA's Terra satellite
• Advanced Very-High-Resolution Radiometer – Space-borne earth reflectance sensor
• Aqua (satellite) – NASA scientific research satellite (2002–present)
• Envisat – ESA Earth observation satellite (2002–2012)
• Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer – Payload imaging sensor
• Multispectral imaging – Capturing image data across multiple electromagnetic spectrum ranges
• Multispectral Unit for Land Assessment – Future Filipino Earth observations satellite
• Suomi NPP – American Earth weather satellite (2011–present)
• Terra (satellite) – NASA climate research satellite (1999–present)

• Ocean observation

• Coastal zone color scanner – Satellite device designed for detecting water on Earth
• Ocean color – Explanation of the color of oceans and ocean color remote sensing
• Ocean surface topography – Shape of the ocean surface relative to the geoid
• Oceanography – Scientific study of the ocean
• Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem – NASA Earth observation satellite
• Scatterometer – Meteorological instrumentation
• Sea surface temperature – Water temperature close to the ocean's surface
• Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity – ESA earth observation satellite

• Optical imaging

• Aerial photographic and satellite image interpretation – Remote sensing processing
• Earth observation satellite – Satellite designed to observe Earth from orbit
• Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera – American solar research spacecraft
• Landsat program – American network of Earth-observing satellites for international research purposes

• Landsat 1 – American earth observation satellite (1972–1978)
• Landsat 7 – American earth observation satellite (1999–2025)
• Landsat 8 – American earth observation satellite
• Landsat 9 – American earth observation satellite

• Operational Land Imager – Sensing instrument aboard the Landsat 8 satellite orbiting Earth
• Remote sensing – Obtaining information through non-contact sensors
• Satellite imagery – Images taken from an artificial satellite
• Sentinel-2 – Earth observation mission

• Radar altimetry

• Jason satellite series – Series of Earth observation satellites
• Radar altimeter – Measures an aircraft's height above the terrain
• SARAL – Indian earth observation satellite
• Sea surface height – Shape of the ocean surface relative to the geoid
• TOPEX/Poseidon – Satellite mission to map ocean surface topography

• Synthetic-aperture radar

• COSMO-SkyMed – Italian radar observation satellite system
• Envisat – ESA Earth observation satellite (2002–2012)
• Interferometric synthetic-aperture radar – Geodesy and remote sensing technique
• Ka-band Radar Interferometer – NASA/CNES oceanography mission (2022–present)
• NISAR (satellite) – Joint NASA-ISRO synthetic radar aperture spacecraft
• RADARSAT

• Radarsat-1 – Canadian Earth observation satellite (1995–2013)
• Radarsat-2 – Canadian earth observation satellite

• RADARSAT Constellation – Canadian satellite fleet
• SAR-Lupe – German military reconnaissance satellite system
• Sentinel-1 – Earth observation satellite
• Space-based radar – Use of radar systems mounted on satellites
• Spaceborne Imaging Radar – NASA radar
• Synthetic-aperture radar – Form of radar used to create images of landscapes
• TerraSAR-X – German Earth observation satellite

• Urban monitoring

• Urban heat island – Situation where cities are warmer than surrounding areas
• Urban planning – Technical process of land use and urban design

Educational, amateur, and student satellites use small spacecraft to support amateur radio, hands-on engineering, classroom projects, university missions, citizen science, biological research, and low-cost technology demonstrations.^[79][80] Many are CubeSats or other small satellites developed by universities, nonprofit organizations, student teams, or amateur radio groups.^{[81][82][83][84]}

• Amateur radio and educational satellites

• Amateur radio satellite – Type of satellite that transmits over amateur radio frequencies
• AMSAT – Amateur radio satellite organizations
• AMSAT-OSCAR 6
• AMSAT-OSCAR 7 – 1974 amateur radio satellite
• AMSAT-OSCAR 10 – Star-shaped German AMSAT micro-satellite
• AMSAT-OSCAR 51
• FUNcube-1 – Educational CubeSat satellite
• OSCAR (satellite) – Designation of amateur radio satellites
• SAPPHIRE – U.S. amateur radio satellite

• Citizen-science and crowdfunded satellites

• Citizen science – Amateur scientific research
• Crowdfunding – Collection of finance from backers to fund an initiative
• LightSail – LEO solar sailing demo project
• NanoSail-D – Satellite designed to test the concept of solar sails that deployed unsuccessfully
• The Planetary Society – US-based non-governmental organization

• Educational payloads

• Bion-M No.1 – Russian space mission
• BioSentinel – US experimental astrobiology research satellite
• GeneSat-1 – NASA cubesat
• Student Space Exploration & Technology Initiative

• University and student satellites

• Aalto-1 – Finnish research nanosatellite
• AAU CubeSat – CubeSat built and operated by Aalborg University, Denmark
• AAUSat-2 – CubeSat built and operated by Aalborg University, Denmark
• AAUSat-3 – CubeSat built and operated by Aalborg University, Denmark
• ArduSat – Arduino-based CubeSat science project
• BRICSat-2 – Experimental amateur radio satellite
• BRICSat-P – United States technology demonstration and amateur radio cubesat
• CanSat – Sounding rocket payload used to teach space technology
• Cornell University Satellite – American technology demonstration satellite
• CubeSat – Miniature satellite in 10 cm cube modules
• Delfi-C3 – Dutch mini-satellite
• Delfi-n3Xt – Dutch nanosatellite
• EQUiSat
• KickSat – Citizen science project
• KySat-1 – American satellite
• Quakesat – Earth Observation nanosatellite

Military and intelligence satellites support military communications,^[85] missile warning,^[86] reconnaissance,^[87] signals intelligence,^[88] maritime domain awareness,^[89][90] and space domain awareness.^[91][92][93] This area also includes anti-satellite weapons and other counterspace systems intended to disable, destroy, inspect, or interfere with satellites and other space assets.^{[94][95][96][97]}

• Anti-satellite systems

• 2007 Chinese anti-satellite missile test – Largest field of space debris in history
• Anti-satellite weapon – Kinetic energy device designed to destroy satellites in orbit
• Directed-energy weapon – Type of weapon that fires a concentrated beam of energy at its target
• Istrebitel Sputnikov – Soviet anti-satellite weapon program
• Operation Burnt Frost – 2008 military operation to destroy a non-functioning U.S. satellite
• Project SAINT – US anti-Soviet spacecraft system

• Military communications satellites

• Advanced Extremely High Frequency – Series of American military communications satellites
• Defense Satellite Communications System – Defense satellite communications project
• Milstar – Constellation of American military satellites
• Skynet (satellite) – Communications satellite
• Wideband Global SATCOM – Defense satellite communications project

• Missile warning satellites

• Defense Support Program – US infrared satellite early warning system
• Early warning satellite – Ballistic missile detection satellite^[8]
• Oko – Soviet (now Russian) satellite-based early warning system for ballistic missiles
• Space-Based Infrared System – Missile warning and defence system

• Ocean surveillance satellites

• Legenda (satellite system) – Soviet satellite targeting system
• US-A – Soviet nuclear-powered surveillance satellite

• Reconnaissance satellites

• CORONA (satellite) – American reconnaissance satellites (1959–1972)^[8]
• KH-11 KENNEN – Type of American spy satellite
• Lacrosse (satellite) – Series of American terrestrial radar imaging reconnaissance satellites
• Military satellite – Artificial satellite used for military purposes^[8]
• National Reconnaissance Office – US intelligence agency in charge of satellite intelligence
• Reconnaissance satellite – Satellite that covertly collects data for intelligence or military applications^[8]
• Yaogan – Chinese military reconnaissance satellite program

• Signals intelligence

• Electronic intelligence – Intelligence-gathering by interception of signals
• Magnum (satellite) – Class of spy satellites of the United States Central Intelligence Agency
• Mercury (satellite) – Series of United States spy satellites
• Naval Ocean Surveillance System – Series of signals-intelligence satellites of the U.S. Navy

• White Cloud – Series of signals-intelligence satellites of the U.S. Navy

• Olymp-K – Russian military geostationary satellite
• Orion (satellite) – Class of United States spy satellites
• Signals intelligence – Intelligence-gathering by interception of signals

• Space situational awareness satellites

• Sapphire (satellite) – Canadian space surveillance satellite
• Satellite collision – Collision involving one or more satellites in orbit
• Sentient – U.S. government AI system^[98][99]
• Space domain awareness – Surveillance from and of the outer space environment
• U.S. Space Surveillance Network – SSA system

Satellite navigation systems use signals from global navigation satellite systems and regional navigation systems to support geopositioning, navigation, and precise timing.^[100][11] Applications include air navigation, automotive navigation, marine navigation, surveying, geodesy, precision agriculture, and satellite-based augmentation systems^[101][102] such as the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service^[103][104] and Wide Area Augmentation System,^[105][106] which improve satellite navigation accuracy, integrity, continuity, or availability, and timing accuracy with procedures like time and frequency transfer.^[107][108]

• Navigation applications

• Navigation – Process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle

• Satellite navigation – Use of satellite signals for navigation or geo-spatial positioning

• Air navigation – Navigation for aviation

• Area navigation – Aircraft navigation method
• European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service – System that enhances the accuracy of GPS receivers
• Instrument flight rules – Civil aviation regulations for flight on instruments
• Wide Area Augmentation System – System that enhances the accuracy of GPS receivers

• Automotive navigation system – Part of the automobile controls
• Marine navigation – Process of steering a ship from a starting point to a destination

• Automatic identification system – Tracking system using transceivers on ships
• Electronic navigational chart – Digital Map
• GNSS augmentation – Method of improving a navigation system

• Turn-by-turn navigation – Feature of GPS navigation devices

• Global navigation satellite systems

• BeiDou – Chinese global navigation satellite system
• Galileo (satellite navigation system) – European global navigation satellite system
• Global Positioning System – American satellite-based radio navigation service
• GLONASS – Russian global navigation satellite system
• Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System – Satellite navigation system
• Quasi-Zenith Satellite System – Japanese regional navigation satellite system

• Positioning

• Geodesy – Science of measuring the shape, orientation, and gravity of Earth
• Geopositioning – Determination of the geographic position of an object
• Real-time kinematic positioning – Satellite navigation technique used to enhance the precision of position data
• Surveying – Science of determining the positions of points and the distances and angles between them

• Precision agriculture

• Normalized difference vegetation index – Metric quantifying vegetation density
• Precision agriculture – Farming management strategy

• Regional navigation satellite systems

• Korea Positioning System – Planned South Korean navigational system

• Satellite-based augmentation systems

• European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service – System that enhances the accuracy of GPS receivers
• GNSS augmentation – Method of improving a navigation system
• GPS-aided GEO augmented navigation – Regional satellite navigation system
• Michibiki Satellite-based Augmentation Service – Japanese satellite based augmentation system
• Wide Area Augmentation System – System that enhances the accuracy of GPS receivers

• Timing applications

• Precise Time and Time Interval – Standard for highly accurate timing information
• Time and frequency transfer – Scheme where multiple sites share a precise reference time or frequency

Weather satellites and meteorological satellite systems observe the atmosphere, clouds, precipitation, greenhouse gases, and other Earth-system variables used in weather forecasting and climate monitoring.^[109] Major uses include atmospheric sounding,^[110][111] cloud and storm monitoring, greenhouse gas monitoring,^[112] precipitation measurement, and long-term environmental observation by systems such as GOES,^[113] Meteosat,^[114] Himawari,^[115] and MetOp.^[116]

• Atmospheric sounding

• Advanced microwave sounding unit – Instrument installed on meteorological satellites
• Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder
• Atmospheric sounding – Measurement of vertical distribution of physical properties of the atmospheric column
• Infrared atmospheric sounding interferometer

• Cloud monitoring

• Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System – NASA satellite climate data instruments
• CloudSat – NASA Earth observation satellite
• Dvorak technique – Subjective technique to estimate tropical cyclone intensity
• Global Precipitation Measurement – Joint mission between JAXA and NASA

• Greenhouse gas monitoring

• Copernicus Climate Change Service – European Union scientific programme
• Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite – Japanese Earth observation satellite
• Orbiting Carbon Observatory – Failed NASA climate satellite
• Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 – NASA climate satellite
• Sentinel-5 Precursor – European Earth observation satellite

• Meteorological satellites

• Advanced Very-High-Resolution Radiometer – Space-borne earth reflectance sensor
• Deep Space Climate Observatory – American solar research spacecraft
• Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite – US weather satellite series
• Himawari (satellites) – Geostationary meteorological satellite
• Meteosat – Series of european weather satellites
• MetOp – Series of European meteorological satellites
• Weather satellite – Type of satellite designed to record the state of the Earth's atmosphere

• Storm tracking

• Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission – Joint space mission between NASA and JAXA

Space law links satellites and other space objects to the states and agencies responsible for their launch, operation, registration, identification, and regulation.^[118] Under the Outer Space Treaty, states retain jurisdiction and control over registered space objects, bear international responsibility for national space activities, and may be liable for damage caused by their space objects.^[119] Related systems include launch, communications, and remote-sensing licensing; registration under the Registration Convention and the United Nations Register;^[120][121] and object identification through International Designators, Satellite Catalog Numbers,^[122] orbital elements,^[123] and two-line element sets.^[124][125]

• Jurisdiction and control

• Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984 – Federal law facilitating commercialization of space technology
• Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015 – Allows US industries to exploit space resources
• Federal Aviation Administration – U.S. government agency regulating civil aviation
• Federal Communications Commission – U.S. government agency
• International law – Norms in international relations
• Jurisdiction – Authority granted to a legal body or political leader to deal with legal matters
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – US government scientific agency
• Office of Commercial Space Transportation – Branch of the US FAA
• Outer Space Treaty – Basis of international space law
• Space jurisdiction – Aspect of what countries can enforce in space
• Space law – Area of national and international law governing activities in outer space
• Space policy – Public policy concerning the exploration of outer space

• Launching state

• Launch vehicle – Rocket used to carry a spacecraft into space
• Outer Space Treaty – Basis of international space law
• Registration Convention – 1974 United Nations treaty
• Space launch – Earliest phase of a flight that reaches space
• Space Liability Convention – 1972 treaty that expands on the liability rules in the Outer Space Treaty
• Spaceport – Location used to launch and receive spacecraft
• State responsibility – Responsibility of government in international law
• United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space – United Nations committee
• United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs – Space agency

• Liability for damage

• 2009 satellite collision – First hypervelocity spacecraft collision
• Iridium 33 – Communications satellite operated by Iridium Communications
• Kessler syndrome – Theoretical satellite collision cascade
• Kosmos 954 – Reconnaissance satellite of Soviet Union
• Kosmos 2251 – Defunct Russian military communications satellite, operational from 1993 to 1995
• Satellite collision – Collision involving one or more satellites in orbit
• Space Liability Convention – 1972 treaty that expands on the liability rules in the Outer Space Treaty

• Satellite registration

• International Designator – Alphanumerical designation for spacecraft
• NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive – Archive of NASA data
• Registration Convention – 1974 United Nations treaty
• Satellite Catalog Number – NORAD satellite identifier
• United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs – Space agency

• Space object identification

• NORAD – Bi-national military alliance
• Orbital elements – Parameters that define a specific orbit
• Satellite Catalog Number – NORAD satellite identifier
• Space domain awareness – Surveillance from and of the outer space environment
• Two-line element set – Orbital data format
• U.S. Space Surveillance Network – SSA system

Space law is the national and international legal framework governing space activities, including liability for damage caused by space objects, registration of launched objects, national licensing of space activities, and treaty rules on exploration, non-appropriation, rescue, weapons, and use of the Moon and other celestial bodies.^{[126][127][128]} It includes the Outer Space Treaty,^[129] Space Liability Convention,^[130] Registration Convention,^[131] Moon Treaty,^[132] and national laws governing commercial and private spaceflight.^[133]

• Space law – Area of national and international law governing activities in outer space

• Liability Convention

The 2009 satellite collision involved the craft Iridium 33 (silver and gold) and Kosmos 2251 (blue cylinder; digital render).

• 2009 satellite collision – First hypervelocity spacecraft collision
• Kosmos 954 – Reconnaissance satellite of Soviet Union
• Space Liability Convention – 1972 treaty that expands on the liability rules in the Outer Space Treaty

• Moon Agreement

• Artemis Accords – Multilateral agreement on human moon exploration
• Asteroid mining – Exploitation of raw materials from asteroids
• Common heritage of humanity – Principle of international law
• Extraterrestrial real estate – Ownership claims of property on other planets, moons, or parts of outer space
• In situ resource utilization – Astronautical use of materials harvested in outer space
• Lunar resources – In situ resources on the Moon
• Moon Treaty – 1979 international treaty on celestial bodies

• National space law

• Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984 – Federal law facilitating commercialization of space technology
• Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015 – Allows US industries to exploit space resources
• Federal Aviation Administration – U.S. government agency regulating civil aviation
• Federal Communications Commission – U.S. government agency
• National Aeronautics and Space Act – 1958 U.S. law creating NASA
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – US government scientific agency
• Office of Commercial Space Transportation – Branch of the US FAA
• Outer Space Act 1986 – Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Private spaceflight – Spaceflight not by a government
• Space Industry Act 2018 – Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Space policy – Public policy concerning the exploration of outer space

• Outer Space Treaty

• Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts, and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space – 1967 treaty on rescuing persons in space
• Militarisation of space – Use of outer space for military aims
• Outer Space Treaty – Basis of international space law
• Space jurisdiction – Aspect of what countries can enforce in space
• Space weapon – Weapons used in space warfare
• United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space – United Nations committee
• United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs – Space agency

• Registration Convention

• International Designator – Alphanumerical designation for spacecraft
• Registration Convention – 1974 United Nations treaty
• Satellite Catalog Number – NORAD satellite identifier

Space traffic management covers the rules, data, and operating practices used to reduce collision, debris, reentry, and interference risks as satellites share increasingly crowded orbits.^[134][135] It includes commercial launch and reentry regulation,^[136] space situational awareness, collision avoidance, conjunction warnings, orbital-debris mitigation, end-of-life disposal, remote-sensing regulation, and tracking systems used to identify and monitor objects in orbit.^[137]

• Commercial space regulation

• Commercial Space Launch Act – Federal law facilitating commercialization of space technology
• Federal Aviation Administration – U.S. government agency regulating civil aviation
• Office of Space Commerce – Office within the NOAA

• Conjunction warnings

• 2009 satellite collision – First hypervelocity spacecraft collision
• Collision avoidance (spacecraft) – Form of collision management in aeronautics
• Iridium 33 – Communications satellite operated by Iridium Communications
• Satellite collision – Collision involving one or more satellites in orbit

• End-of-life rules

• Deorbit of Mir – Controlled atmospheric entry of Mir over the Pacific
• Graveyard orbit – Spacecraft end-of-life orbit
• List of space debris producing events

• Orbital debris guidelines

• Kessler syndrome – Theoretical satellite collision cascade
• List of reentering space debris
• List of space debris producing events
• RemoveDEBRIS – Project to demonstrate various space debris removal technologies
• Space debris – Pollution around Earth by defunct artificial objects

• Remote sensing regulation

• Remote sensing – Obtaining information through non-contact sensors
• United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space – United Nations committee

• Space situational awareness governance

• Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program – American military space surveillance program
• Space Based Space Surveillance – American military space surveillance program
• Space situational awareness – Surveillance from and of the outer space environment
• U.S. Space Surveillance Network – SSA system

Spectrum management and orbital-slot coordination govern how satellites use radio frequencies and positions in orbit without causing harmful interference.^[138] For satellite networks, this includes International Telecommunication Union coordination,^[139] Radio Regulations, frequency allocation, geostationary orbital slots,^[140][141] harmful-interference rules, and shared use of bands such as C band,^[142][143] Ku band,^[144][145] and Ka band.^[146]

• Coordination of satellite networks

• International Telecommunication Union – Specialized agency of the United Nations
• Radio Regulations – Regulation and licensing of radio waves in law
• Satellite coordination

• Geostationary orbital slots

• Clarke Belt – Circular orbit above Earth's Equator and following the direction of Earth's rotation
• Geostationary orbit – Circular orbit above Earth's Equator and following the direction of Earth's rotation
• Satellite arc – Imaginary Arc in the Sky
• Orbital slot – Circular orbit above Earth's Equator and following the direction of Earth's rotation
• Spectrum management – Regulating the use of radio frequencies to promote efficient use

• Harmful interference

• Electromagnetic interference – Disturbance in an electrical circuit due to external sources of radio waves
• Harmful interference – Disturbance in an electrical circuit due to external sources of radio waves
• Radio jamming – Interference with authorized wireless communications
• Radio Regulations – Regulation and licensing of radio waves in law

• International Telecommunication Union

• International Telecommunication Union – Specialized agency of the United Nations
• ITU Radiocommunication Sector – One of the three sectors of the ITU
• Radio Regulations – Regulation and licensing of radio waves in law
• World Radiocommunication Conference – Convention

• Orbital slot assignment

• First-come, first-served – Mathematical study of waiting lines, or queues
• Bringing into use – Treaty
• Orbital slot – Circular orbit above Earth's Equator and following the direction of Earth's rotation
• Paper satellite

• Radiofrequency allocation

• C band – Range of radio frequencies from 4 to 8 GHz
• Frequency allocation – Allocation and regulation of the electromagnetic spectrum into radio frequency bands
• ITU Radio Regulations – Treaty
• Ka band – Portion of the microwave part of the electromagnetic spectrum (26.5–40 gigahertz)
• Ku band – Range of radio frequencies from 11–20 GHz
• Radio spectrum – Electromagnetic spectrum, 3 Hz – 3000 GHz
• Spectrum management – Regulating the use of radio frequencies to promote efficient use

Earth-orbiting satellites use altitude, inclination, eccentricity, and ground-track design to balance coverage, revisit time, resolution, lifetime, radiation exposure, and access to ground stations.^[149] Common operational orbit families include low, medium, geosynchronous, geostationary, polar, Sun-synchronous, highly elliptical, and transfer orbits.^[150][148] GEO spacecraft may also be moved into disposal or graveyard orbits at the end of their missions.^[151]

• Equatorial orbit

• Celestial equator – Projection of Earth's equator out into space
• Equator – Imaginary line halfway between Earth's North and South poles
• Geocentric orbit – Orbit around Earth
• Geostationary orbit – Circular orbit above Earth's Equator and following the direction of Earth's rotation
• Geosynchronous orbit – Orbit keeping the satellite at a fixed longitude above the equator
• Near-equatorial orbit – Type of orbit around an astronomical body
• Orbital inclination – Angle between a reference plane and the plane of an orbit

• Geostationary orbit

• Clarke Belt – Circular orbit above Earth's Equator and following the direction of Earth's rotation
• Communications satellite – Artificial satellite that relays radio signals
• Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite – US weather satellite series
• Geostationary orbit – Circular orbit above Earth's Equator and following the direction of Earth's rotation
• Geosynchronous orbit – Orbit keeping the satellite at a fixed longitude above the equator
• Himawari (satellites) – Geostationary meteorological satellite
• List of satellites in geostationary orbit
• Meteosat – Series of european weather satellites
• Orbital slot – Circular orbit above Earth's Equator and following the direction of Earth's rotation
• Orbital station-keeping – Maintenance of a particular orbit
• Satellite television – Broadcasting of television using artificial satellites
• Weather satellite – Type of satellite designed to record the state of the Earth's atmosphere

• Geosynchronous orbit

• Geostationary orbit – Circular orbit above Earth's Equator and following the direction of Earth's rotation
• Geosynchronous orbit – Orbit keeping the satellite at a fixed longitude above the equator
• Inclined geosynchronous orbit – Orbit keeping the satellite at a fixed longitude above the equator
• Inclined orbit – Orbital plane that is tipped away from the equator
• List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit
• Quasi-Zenith Satellite System – Japanese regional navigation satellite system
• Synchronous orbit – Orbit of an astronomical body equal to that body's average rotational period
• Tundra orbit – Highly elliptical and highly inclined synchronous orbit

• Graveyard orbit

• Atmospheric entry – Passage of an object through the gases of an atmosphere from outer space
• Disposal orbit – Spacecraft end-of-life orbit
• Graveyard orbit – Spacecraft end-of-life orbit
• Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee – Inter-governmental forum
• Orbital decay – Process that leads to gradual decrease of the distance between two orbiting bodies
• Passivation (spacecraft) – Removal of internal energy in a spaceship at end of its mission
• Space debris – Pollution around Earth by defunct artificial objects

• Highly elliptical orbit

• Apsis – Either of two extreme points in a celestial object's orbit
• Argument of periapsis – Specifies the orbit of an object in space
• Elliptic orbit – Kepler orbit with an eccentricity of less than one
• Highly elliptical orbit – Orbit in the two body case with high eccentricity
• Molniya (satellite) – Soviet military surveillance and communications satellites
• Molniya orbit – Type of high-latitude satellite orbit
• Orbital eccentricity – Amount by which an orbit deviates from a perfect circle
• Tundra orbit – Highly elliptical and highly inclined synchronous orbit
• Van Allen radiation belt – Zone of energetic charged particles around the planet Earth

• Inclined orbit

• Geosynchronous orbit – Orbit keeping the satellite at a fixed longitude above the equator
• Inclined geosynchronous orbit – Orbit keeping the satellite at a fixed longitude above the equator
• Inclined orbit – Orbital plane that is tipped away from the equator
• Orbital inclination – Angle between a reference plane and the plane of an orbit
• Polar orbit – Satellite orbit with high inclination
• Retrograde and prograde motion – Relative directions of orbit or rotation
• Sun-synchronous orbit – Type of geocentric orbit

• Low Earth orbit

• Eutelsat OneWeb – Global communications company
• HawkEye 360 – American radio signal analytics company
• Hubble Space Telescope – NASA/ESA space telescope launched in 1990
• International Space Station – Modular space station in low Earth orbit
• Iridium satellite constellation – Satellite constellation providing voice and data coverage
• Landsat program – American network of Earth-observing satellites for international research purposes
• Low Earth orbit – Orbit around Earth between 160 and 2000 km
• Orbcomm – American wireless networking and telecommunications company
• Planet Labs – American space technology company
• Sentinel-1 – Earth observation satellite
• Sentinel-2 – Earth observation mission
• Starlink – SpaceX satellite Internet constellation
• Swarm Technologies – US telecommunications company
• Tiangong space station – Chinese modular space station (since 2021)

• Medium Earth orbit

• BeiDou – Chinese global navigation satellite system
• Galileo (satellite navigation system) – European global navigation satellite system
• Global Positioning System – American satellite-based radio navigation service
• GLONASS – Russian global navigation satellite system
• GPS satellite blocks – Generations of US navigation satellites
• Medium Earth orbit – Earth-centered orbit above low Earth orbit and below geostationary orbit
• Navigation satellite – Use of satellite signals for navigation or geo-spatial positioning
• O3b – Group of telecommunications satellites
• Van Allen radiation belt – Zone of energetic charged particles around the planet Earth

• Molniya orbit

• Apsis – Either of two extreme points in a celestial object's orbit
• Argument of periapsis – Specifies the orbit of an object in space
• Highly elliptical orbit – Orbit in the two body case with high eccentricity
• Molniya (satellite) – Soviet military surveillance and communications satellites
• Molniya orbit – Type of high-latitude satellite orbit
• Orbital eccentricity – Amount by which an orbit deviates from a perfect circle
• Orbital inclination – Angle between a reference plane and the plane of an orbit
• Tundra orbit – Highly elliptical and highly inclined synchronous orbit

• Polar orbit

• Defense Meteorological Satellite Program – United States Department of Defense weather monitoring program
• GRACE and GRACE-FO – Joint American-German space mission to map Earth's gravitational field
• ICESat-2 – NASA Earth observation satellite
• Landsat program – American network of Earth-observing satellites for international research purposes
• List of NOAA satellites
• MetOp – Series of European meteorological satellites
• Polar orbit – Satellite orbit with high inclination
• Radarsat-1 – Canadian Earth observation satellite (1995–2013)
• Radarsat-2 – Canadian earth observation satellite
• Reconnaissance satellite – Satellite that covertly collects data for intelligence or military applications^[8]
• Sentinel-1 – Earth observation satellite
• Sentinel-2 – Earth observation mission
• Sun-synchronous orbit – Type of geocentric orbit
• Weather satellite – Type of satellite designed to record the state of the Earth's atmosphere

• Sun-synchronous orbit

• A-train (satellite constellation) – Satellite constellation of three Earth observation satellites
• Aqua (satellite) – NASA scientific research satellite (2002–present)
• Cartosat – Indian Earth observation satellite series
• Landsat 8 – American earth observation satellite
• Landsat 9 – American earth observation satellite
• Landsat program – American network of Earth-observing satellites for international research purposes
• Polar orbit – Satellite orbit with high inclination
• Resourcesat-2 – Indian earth observation satellite
• Sentinel-1 – Earth observation satellite
• Sentinel-2 – Earth observation mission
• SPOT (satellite) – Commercial Earth-imaging satellite system operated by the French space agency CNES
• Sun-synchronous orbit – Type of geocentric orbit
• Suomi NPP – American Earth weather satellite (2011–present)
• Terra (satellite) – NASA climate research satellite (1999–present)

• Tundra orbit

• Argument of periapsis – Specifies the orbit of an object in space
• Digital audio radio service – US classification for digital radio services
• Geosynchronous orbit – Orbit keeping the satellite at a fixed longitude above the equator
• Highly elliptical orbit – Orbit in the two body case with high eccentricity
• Molniya orbit – Type of high-latitude satellite orbit
• Orbital eccentricity – Amount by which an orbit deviates from a perfect circle
• Orbital inclination – Angle between a reference plane and the plane of an orbit
• Quasi-Zenith Satellite System – Japanese regional navigation satellite system
• SiriusXM – American radio broadcasting corporation
• Tundra orbit – Highly elliptical and highly inclined synchronous orbit

• Very low Earth orbit

• Drag (physics) – Retarding force on a body moving in a fluid
• GOCE – ESA satellite to map Earth's gravity field
• Low Earth orbit – Orbit around Earth between 160 and 2000 km
• Orbital decay – Process that leads to gradual decrease of the distance between two orbiting bodies
• Super Low Altitude Test Satellite – Japanese satellite
• Very low Earth orbit – Range of low orbital altitudes
• Zero-drag satellite – Satellites where the payload follows a geodesic path through space

Lagrange point orbits use the gravitational structure of the three-body problem to keep spacecraft near useful equilibrium regions with limited station-keeping.^[152][153] They include halo orbits,^[154] Lissajous orbits,^[155][156] distant retrograde orbits,^[157] and other cislunar or interplanetary trajectories used for Earth-Sun observatories, Earth-Moon relay and Gateway missions, and low-energy transfer paths associated with the Interplanetary Transport Network.^[158][159]

• Interplanetary Transport Network – Low-energy trajectories in the Solar System
• Lagrange point – Equilibrium points near two orbiting bodies
• Three-body problem – Physics problem related to laws of motion and gravity

• Distant retrograde orbits

• Distant retrograde orbit – Type of spacecraft orbit

• Earth-Moon Lagrange-point orbits

• Artemis program – NASA-led lunar exploration program
• CAPSTONE – NASA satellite to test the Lunar Gateway orbit
• Distant retrograde orbit – Type of spacecraft orbit
• Lunar Gateway – Cancelled lunar orbital space station
• Queqiao-1 – Chinese lunar communications satellite

• Earth-Sun Lagrange-point orbits

• Advanced Composition Explorer – NASA satellite of the Explorer program, at SE-L1 from 1997
• Deep Space Climate Observatory – American solar research spacecraft
• Gaia (spacecraft) – European optical space observatory for astrometry
• Herschel Space Observatory – ESA space telescope in service 2009–2013
• James Webb Space Telescope – NASA/ESA/CSA space telescope launched in 2021
• Planck (spacecraft) – Space observatory
• Solar and Heliospheric Observatory – European space observatory
• Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe – NASA satellite of the Explorer program

• Halo orbits

• Halo orbit – Periodic, three-dimensional orbit

• Lissajous orbits

• Lissajous orbit – Quasi-periodic orbital trajectory

Non-Earth orbits extend spacecraft operations beyond geocentric space, including lunar, planetary, small-body, dwarf-planet, cometary, and heliocentric trajectories.^{[160][161][162][163]} These missions use interplanetary navigation, trajectory correction, and orbital insertion to support planetary science, relay communications, surface reconnaissance, sample-return support, and small-body exploration.^{[164][165][166][167]}

• Dwarf-planet orbit

• 4 Vesta – Second largest main-belt asteroid
• Actaea (moon) – Moon of 120347 Salacia
• Ceres (dwarf planet) – Dwarf planet in the asteroid belt
• Charon (moon) – Largest natural satellite of Pluto
• Dawn (spacecraft) – NASA orbiter mission to asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres (2007–2018)
• Dwarf planet – Small planetary-mass object
• Dysnomia (moon) – Moon of Eris
• Hiʻiaka (moon) – Larger moon of Haumea
• Hydra (moon) – Moon of Pluto
• Kerberos (moon) – Small natural satellite of Pluto
• List of natural satellites
• Moons of Pluto – Natural satellites orbiting Pluto
• Namaka (moon) – Smaller moon of Haumea
• Nix (moon) – Moon of Pluto
• Styx (moon) – Small natural satellite of Pluto
• Vanth (moon) – Moon of Orcus
• Weywot – Moon of dwarf planet Quaoar
• Xiangliu (moon) – Moon of the dwarf planet Gonggong

• Heliocentric orbit

• Dawn (spacecraft) – NASA orbiter mission to asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres (2007–2018)
• Genesis (spacecraft) – NASA sample return probe
• Heliocentric orbit – Orbit around the barycenter of the Sun
• Helios (spacecraft) – NASA/DLR solar probes launched in 1974–76
• Kepler space telescope – NASA space telescope for exoplanetology (2009–2018)
• List of artificial objects in heliocentric orbit
• New Horizons – NASA spacecraft (2006–present)
• Parker Solar Probe – NASA probe of the Sun's outer corona
• Solar Orbiter – European space-based solar observatory
• Spitzer Space Telescope – NASA infrared space telescope (2003–2020)
• STEREO – Solar observation mission (2006–present)
• Ulysses (spacecraft) – NASA/ESA solar probe launched in 1990

• Lunar orbit

• CAPSTONE – NASA satellite to test the Lunar Gateway orbit
• Chandrayaan-1 – Indian lunar mission (2008–2009)
• Chandrayaan-2 – Indian lunar mission (2019–Present)
• Chang'e 1 – Chinese lunar orbiter (2007–2009)
• Chang'e 2 – Chinese Moon orbiter
• Chang'e 5 – Chinese lunar exploration mission
• Chang'e 6 – Chinese lunar sample-return mission
• Clementine (spacecraft) – American space project
• GRAIL – NASA orbiter mission to the Moon (2011–2012)
• LADEE – Former NASA Lunar mission
• Lunar Gateway – Cancelled lunar orbital space station
• Lunar orbit – Orbit of an object around the Moon
• Lunar Orbiter program – Series of five uncrewed lunar orbiter missions
• Lunar Prospector – Third mission of the Discovery program; polar orbital reconnaissance of the Moon
• Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter – NASA robotic spacecraft orbiting the moon
• Queqiao-1 – Chinese lunar communications satellite
• SMART-1 – European Space Agency satellite that orbited the Moon

• Mars orbit

• 2001 Mars Odyssey – NASA orbiter for geology and hydrology
• Areocentric orbit – Orbit around the planet Mars
• Deimos (moon) – Smaller and outer moon of Mars
• Emirates Mars Mission – Space exploration probe mission to Mars
• Mariner 9 – First spacecraft to enter orbit around Mars (1971–1972)
• Mars Climate Orbiter – Failed NASA mission to Mars (1998–1999)
• Mars Express – European orbiter mission to Mars (2003–present)
• Mars Global Surveyor – NASA orbiter mission to Mars (1996–2006)
• Mars Orbiter Mission – Indian orbiter mission to Mars (2013–2022)
• Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter – NASA spacecraft active since 2005
• MAVEN – NASA Mars orbiter (2013–2025)
• Orbit of Mars – Martian orbit around the Sun
• Phobos (moon) – Larger of the two moons of Mars
• Tianwen-1 – Interplanetary mission by China to place an orbiter, lander, and rover on Mars
• Trace Gas Orbiter – Mars orbiter, part of ExoMars programme
• Viking 1 – Robotic spacecraft sent to Mars
• Viking 2 – Space orbiter and lander sent to Mars

• Planetary orbit

• Akatsuki (spacecraft) – Japanese orbiter mission to Venus (2010–2024)
• BepiColombo – ESA/JAXA mission to study Mercury in orbit (2018–present)
• Cassini–Huygens – Mission to Saturn (1997–2017)
• Chandrayaan-2 – Indian lunar mission (2019–Present)
• Galileo (spacecraft) – First NASA mission to orbit Jupiter (1989–2003)
• Juno (spacecraft) – Second NASA orbiter mission to Jupiter (2011–Present)
• List of extraterrestrial orbiters
• Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter – NASA robotic spacecraft orbiting the moon
• Mars Express – European orbiter mission to Mars (2003–present)
• Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter – NASA spacecraft active since 2005
• MAVEN – NASA Mars orbiter (2013–2025)
• MESSENGER – NASA mission to Mercury
• Orbit – Curved path of an object around a point
• Planetary science – Science of planets and planetary systems
• Venus Express – European orbiter mission to Venus (2005–2015)

• Small-body orbit

• 4 Vesta – Second largest main-belt asteroid
• 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko – Periodic contact binary comet
• 433 Eros – Near-Earth asteroid
• 25143 Itokawa – Potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroid in the Apollo group
• 101955 Bennu – Carbonaceous Apollo asteroid
• 162173 Ryugu – Apollo asteroid
• Asteroid – Minor planet found within the inner Solar System
• Ceres (dwarf planet) – Dwarf planet in the asteroid belt
• Comet – Natural object in space that releases gas
• Dawn (spacecraft) – NASA orbiter mission to asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres (2007–2018)
• Hayabusa – Japanese probe to asteroid and sample return (2003–2010)
• Hayabusa2 – Japanese space mission to asteroid Ryugu
• Hera (space mission) – Planetary defence spacecraft developed by the ESA
• NEAR Shoemaker – American space probe to asteroid (1996–2001)
• OSIRIS-REx – NASA asteroid sample return mission (2016–2023)
• Psyche (spacecraft) – Reconnaissance mission of the main belt asteroid 16 Psyche
• Rosetta (spacecraft) – European mission to study Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (2004–2016)
• Small Solar System body – Object in the Solar System

• Venus orbit

• Akatsuki (spacecraft) – Japanese orbiter mission to Venus (2010–2024)
• Magellan (spacecraft) – NASA orbiter mission to Venus (1989–1994)
• Pioneer Venus Orbiter – NASA orbiter mission to Venus (1978–1992)
• Vega 1 – Soviet mission to Venus and Halley's Comet (1984–1987)
• Vega 2 – Soviet mission to Venus and Halley's Comet (1984–1987)
• Venera 9 – 1975 Soviet uncrewed space mission to Venus
• Venera 10 – Space probe
• Venera 15 – 1983 uncrewed Soviet spacecraft to Venus
• Venera 16 – 1983 uncrewed Soviet spacecraft to Venus
• Venus Express – European orbiter mission to Venus (2005–2015)

Orbital parameters describe where a satellite is, how its orbit is shaped, and how that orbit changes over time. Maneuvers such as insertion,^[168] transfer,^[169][170] station-keeping,^[172] orbit raising and station-keeping use propulsive maneuvers to place satellites in useful orbits and maintain them there, while deorbiting and disposal use drag-augmentation devices, reentry planning, storage orbits, or other disposal strategies to remove spacecraft from operational regions.^{[173][174][175]}

• Orbital elements and parameters

• Apsis – Either of two extreme points in a celestial object's orbit
• Frozen orbit – Orbit in which natural drifting has been minimized
• Ground track – Path on the surface of the Earth or another body directly below an aircraft or satellite
• Orbital eccentricity – Amount by which an orbit deviates from a perfect circle
• Orbital elements – Parameters that define a specific orbit
• Orbital inclination – Angle between a reference plane and the plane of an orbit
• Orbital mechanics – Field of classical mechanics concerned with the motion of spacecraft
• Orbital node – Point where an orbit crosses a plane of reference to which it is inclined
• Orbital period – Time an astronomical object takes to complete one orbit around another object
• Orbital resonance – Regular and periodic mutual gravitational influence of orbiting bodies
• Repeat ground track
• Right ascension of the ascending node – Defining the orbit of an object in space
• Two-line element set – Orbital data format

• Orbit insertion and transfer

• Apogee kick motor – Rocket motor used to circularise a satellite's orbit after launch
• Bi-elliptic transfer – Type of orbital maneuver
• Delta-v – Measure of amount of effort to change trajectory
• Electric orbit raising
• Geostationary transfer orbit – Transfer orbit used to reach geosynchronous or geostationary orbit
• Hohmann transfer orbit – Transfer manoeuvre between two orbits
• Orbital insertion – Spaceflight operation
• Orbital maneuver – Movement during spaceflight
• Perigee kick motor

• Station-keeping and orbit maintenance

• Electric propulsion – Type of spacecraft propulsion using electrical energy to accelerate propellant
• Orbital station-keeping – Maintenance of a particular orbit
• Reaction control system – Spacecraft thrusters used to provide attitude control and translation
• Satellite formation flying
• Sun-synchronous orbit – Type of geocentric orbit

• Orbital decay and deorbiting

• Aerobraking – Spaceflight maneuver
• Atmospheric drag – Retarding force on a body moving in a fluid
• Atmospheric reentry – Passage of an object through the gases of an atmosphere from outer space
• Deorbit burn
• Graveyard orbit – Spacecraft end-of-life orbit
• Orbital decay – Process that leads to gradual decrease of the distance between two orbiting bodies
• Space debris – Pollution around Earth by defunct artificial objects

The satellite lifecycle runs from mission design and spacecraft integration through launch, deployment, routine operations, servicing, and end-of-mission disposal.^{[176][177][178]} It includes the satellite bus,^[179] payload,^[180] and ground segment needed to support the mission;^{[181][182]: 1} the launch vehicle,^[183] satellite dispenser,^[184][185] and early-orbit checkout and commissioning used to place the spacecraft into service;^[186] and later operations such as telemetry, mission control, station-keeping, attitude control, refuelling, passivation, and disposal to reduce space debris.^{[186][187][178][175]}

• Design and mission planning

• Ground segment – Ground-based elements of a spacecraft system
• Payload – Carrying capacity of a vehicle
• Satellite bus – Main body and structural component of the satellite
• Spacecraft design

• Launch and deployment

• Launch and Early Orbit phase
• Launch vehicle – Rocket used to carry a spacecraft into space
• Rideshare (spaceflight) – Launch of small spacecraft together with larger one
• Satellite dispenser

• Operations and control

• Mission control center – Facility that manages aerospace vehicle flights
• Orbital station-keeping – Maintenance of a particular orbit
• Spacecraft attitude determination and control – Process of controlling orientation of an aerospace vehicle
• Telemetry – Automatic collection and transmission of data

• Servicing, disposal, and end of mission

• Graveyard orbit – Spacecraft end-of-life orbit
• Mission Extension Vehicle – Spacecraft concept
• Passivation (spacecraft) – Removal of internal energy in a spaceship at end of its mission
• Satellite refuelling – Operation of replenishing
• Space debris – Pollution around Earth by defunct artificial objects

Launch and deployment cover the transition from a completed spacecraft on the ground to an operating satellite in orbit.^[177] This phase includes launch-site processing, dedicated or rideshare launch, separation from the launch vehicle or deployer, initial signal acquisition, and commissioning checks that confirm the spacecraft is healthy enough to begin routine operations.^[186][188]

• Commissioning

• Telemetry – Automatic collection and transmission of data

• Dedicated launches

• Expendable launch vehicle – Launch system that uses a single use launch vehicle
• Launch vehicle – Rocket used to carry a spacecraft into space
• List of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches
• Reusable launch vehicle – Vehicles that can go to space and return

• Deployment mechanisms

• Educational Launch of Nanosatellites – NASA educational satellite program
• List of spacecraft deployed from the International Space Station
• Nanoracks CubeSat Deployer – Device to deploy CubeSats into orbit from the International Space Station
• Satellite dispenser

• Dispensers

• Nanoracks CubeSat Deployer – Device to deploy CubeSats into orbit from the International Space Station
• Rocket Lab Photon – Satellite bus made by Rocket Lab
• Satellite dispenser

• Initial acquisition

• Telemetry – Automatic collection and transmission of data

• Launch sites

• Baikonur Cosmodrome – Spaceport in Kazakhstan leased to Russia
• Guiana Space Centre – French and European spaceport in French Guiana
• Kennedy Space Center – NASA launch facility in Florida
• Satish Dhawan Space Centre – Spaceport in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India
• Spaceport – Location used to launch and receive spacecraft

• Launch vehicles

• Launch vehicle – Rocket used to carry a spacecraft into space
• LauncherOne – Two-stage, air-launched rocket by Virgin Orbit
• Rocket Lab Electron – Two-stage small launch vehicle, 200–300 kg to LEO
• Vega – Brightest star in the constellation Lyra

• Rideshare launches

• List of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches
• Rideshare (spaceflight) – Launch of small spacecraft together with larger one
• Satellite dispenser

• Separation systems

• Nanoracks CubeSat Deployer – Device to deploy CubeSats into orbit from the International Space Station
• Satellite dispenser

Station-keeping and control keep a satellite pointed correctly and close to its intended orbit or orbital slot.^[172][189] This work combines guidance, navigation, and control,^{[190][191][192]} spacecraft attitude determination and control,^[193] autonomous operations,^[194] and propulsion systems used for pointing, maneuvering, orbit maintenance, and long-duration station-keeping.^{[193][194][173]}

• Attitude control

• Control moment gyroscope – Attitude control device
• Guidance, navigation, and control – Branch of engineering
• Magnetorquer – Satellite system
• Reaction control system – Spacecraft thrusters used to provide attitude control and translation
• Reaction wheel – Attitude control device used in spacecraft
• Spacecraft attitude determination and control – Process of controlling orientation of an aerospace vehicle

• Autonomous control

The automated Progress uncrewed spacecraft approaches the International Space Station with tons of food and supplies, and then departs with trash. Progress was then intentionally crashed into the atmosphere for engineering testing.

• Autonomous robot – Robot that performs behaviors or tasks with a high degree of autonomy
• Tip and cue – Tracking method in satellite imagery: 2^{[195]: 2 [197]}
• Uncrewed spacecraft – Spacecraft without people on board

• Chemical propulsion

• Cold gas thruster – Type of rocket engine
• Liquid-propellant rocket – Rocket engine that uses liquid fuels and oxidizers
• Monopropellant rocket – Rocket that uses a single propellant with a catalyst
• Rocket engine – Non-airbreathing engine used to propel a missile or vehicle

• Electric propulsion

• Arcjet rocket – Type of spacecraft electric propulsion system
• Hall-effect thruster – Type of electric propulsion system
• Ion thruster – Form of electric spacecraft propulsion
• Pulsed plasma thruster – Type of propulsion for spacecraft
• Resistojet rocket – Method of spacecraft propulsion
• Solar sail – Space propulsion method using Sun radiation
• Spacecraft electric propulsion – Type of spacecraft propulsion using electrical energy to accelerate propellant

• Orbit control

• Orbital maneuver – Movement during spaceflight
• Orbital station-keeping – Maintenance of a particular orbit
• Spacecraft flight dynamics – Application of mechanical dynamics to model the flight of space vehicles
• Spacecraft propulsion – Method used to accelerate spacecraft

Satellite servicing and repair covers crewed and robotic work performed after launch to inspect, repair, refuel, upgrade, relocate, or extend the operating life of spacecraft.^{[198][199][200]} It includes astronaut servicing missions, robotic rendezvous and proximity operations, life-extension vehicles, refueling demonstrations, and on-orbit servicing systems for satellites that may or may not have been designed for maintenance.^{[199][201][200][202]}

• Crewed servicing missions

• Space Shuttle – Partially reusable launch system and space plane
• STS-61 – 1993 American crewed spaceflight to the Hubble Space Telescope
• STS-82 – 1997 American crewed spaceflight to the Hubble Space Telescope
• STS-103 – 1999 American crewed spaceflight to the Hubble Space Telescope
• STS-109 – 2002 American crewed spaceflight to the Hubble Space Telescope
• STS-125 – 2009 American crewed spaceflight to the Hubble Space Telescope

• Inspection

• Autonomous Nanosatellite Guardian for Evaluating Local Space
• DART (satellite) – NASA Autonomous Rendezvous demo 2005
• E.Inspector – European technology demonstration cubesat
• Orbital Express – US project to autonomously service satellites in orbit ~2007
• Passive Inspection CubeSat – Technology demonstration cubesat
• Prowler (satellite) – American satellite used to study Soviet satellites
• XSS-10 – Micro-spacecraft developed by U.S. Air Force

• Life extension

• MEV-1 (spacecraft) – Spacecraft concept
• MEV-2 – Spacecraft concept
• Mission Extension Vehicle – Spacecraft concept
• OSAM-1 – NASA Spacecraft

• On-orbit servicing

• Consortium for Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing Operations – Program started by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
• Orbital Express – US project to autonomously service satellites in orbit ~2007
• Repair Satellite Prototype – 2018 microsatellite with two robotic arms
• Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites program – Satellite-servicing project
• Satellite refuelling – Operation of replenishing
• Space Infrastructure Servicing – Canadian spacecraft concept for in-orbit servicing

• Refueling

• OSAM-1 – NASA Spacecraft
• Robotic Refueling Mission
• Satellite refuelling – Operation of replenishing

• Relocation

• MEV-1 (spacecraft) – Spacecraft concept
• MEV-2 – Spacecraft concept
• Mission Extension Vehicle – Spacecraft concept

• Repair

• Intelsat VI – Series of satellites
• Repair Satellite Prototype – 2018 microsatellite with two robotic arms
• Solar Maximum Mission – NASA solar observatory (1980–1989)

• Robotic servicing

• Canadarm2 – Robotic system on board the International Space Station
• Dextre – Robotic arm on ISS
• Orbital Express – US project to autonomously service satellites in orbit ~2007
• OSAM-1 – NASA Spacecraft
• Robotic Refueling Mission
• Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites program – Satellite-servicing project

End-of-life and disposal practices remove satellites and orbital stages from operational regions after their missions end to reduce collision and debris risk.^[175] Disposal can involve controlled or uncontrolled atmospheric reentry, transfer to a less congested orbit or a graveyard orbit, passivation, later active debris removal, or compliance with post-mission debris-mitigation guidelines.^{[204][174][205]}

• Controlled reentry

• Deorbit of Mir – Controlled atmospheric entry of Mir over the Pacific
• Salyut 7 – Soviet space station (1982–1991)

• Deorbiting

• ClearSpace-1 – Planned European mission to demonstrate space debris removal
• e.Deorbit – Cancelled mission to remove space debris
• Graveyard orbit – Spacecraft end-of-life orbit
• List of reentering space debris
• List of space debris producing events
• RemoveDEBRIS – Project to demonstrate various space debris removal technologies

• Post-mission disposal guidelines

• Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee – Inter-governmental forum

• Uncontrolled reentry

• Kosmos 954 – Reconnaissance satellite of Soviet Union
• Salyut 7 – Soviet space station (1982–1991)
• Tiangong-1 – Chinese space station (2011–2018)
• Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite – NASA-operated orbital observatory (1991–2011)

• Launch and deployment service providers

• Launch service providers

• Arianespace – European commercial space transportation company
• Firefly Aerospace – American aerospace company
• Rocket Lab – American public spaceflight company
• SpaceX – American spaceflight and AI company
• United Launch Alliance – Joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing

• Satellite deployment and rideshare

• D-Orbit – Private Italian aerospace company
• Exolaunch – European satellite launch provider
• Momentus Space – American aerospace company
• Nanoracks – American private space hardware and services company

• Servicing, logistics, and situational support

• Astroscale – Orbital debris removal company
• ClearSpace-1 – Planned European mission to demonstrate space debris removal
• Impulse Space – American space company
• Kongsberg Satellite Services – Norwegian satellite ground station services company
• LeoLabs – American space technology company

• Payload manufacturers

• Aerojet Rocketdyne – American aerospace propulsion manufacturer
• Beyond Gravity – Swiss aerospace company
• Honeywell – American multinational conglomerate
• L3Harris Technologies – American defense and electrical equipment manufacturer
• Leonardo S.p.A. – Italian defence and aerospace company
• Moog Inc. – American aerospace company
• Teledyne Technologies – American industrial company

• Satellite bus manufacturers

• Large satellite bus manufacturers

• Airbus Defence and Space – Division of Airbus
• Boeing Satellite Development Center – Satellite manufacturing division of Boeing
• China Academy of Space Technology – Chinese research institute
• Israel Aerospace Industries – Aerospace and defense manufacturer
• Lockheed Martin Space – Operating division of Lockheed Martin
• Maxar Technologies – American space technology company (2017–2025)
• Mitsubishi Electric – Japanese electrical equipment, elevator manufacturer, and appliance manufacturer
• Northrop Grumman – American aerospace and defense company
• OHB SE – Aerospace company in Bremen, Germany
• Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems – Russian satellite manufacturing company
• Space Systems/Loral – American satellite and space systems manufacturer
• Thales Alenia Space – Satellite manufacturer

• Specialized and medium-class manufacturers

• AAC Clyde Space – Private space company
• Ball Aerospace & Technologies – American aerospace company (1956–2024)
• Blue Canyon Technologies – American defense contractor
• EnduroSat – Bulgarian aerospace manufacturer
• GomSpace – Nanosatellite manufacturing company
• MDA Space – Canadian space technology company
• NanoAvionics – Small satellite bus manufacturer and mission integrator
• Satrec Initiative – South Korean aerospace company
• Sierra Nevada Corporation – American aerospace company, founded 1963
• Surrey Satellite Technology – British aerospace company

• Commercial constellation operators

• AST SpaceMobile – American satellite manufacturer
• Lynk Global – American satellite communications company
• Project Kuiper – Amazon satellite constellation and internet service
• Telesat Lightspeed – Canadian satellite communications company

• Communications satellite operators

• Global and multinational communications operators

• EchoStar – Global satellite services provider
• Eutelsat – French-based satellite provider
• Hughes Network Systems – High-speed satellite internet service provider
• Intelsat – Luxembourgish communications satellite services provider
• Iridium Communications – American satellite communications company
• SES S.A. – Communications satellite owner and operator
• Telesat – Canadian satellite communications company
• Viasat – American communications company

• Low Earth orbit and mobile communications operators

• O3b – Group of telecommunications satellites
• Orbcomm – American wireless networking and telecommunications company
• Starlink – SpaceX satellite Internet constellation
• Swarm Technologies – US telecommunications company

• Regional communications operators

• ABS (satellite operator) – Dubai-based operator of communication satellites
• APT Satellite Holdings – Bermuda-incorporated holding company
• Arabsat – Arab satellite operator
• AsiaSat – Hong Kong-based commercial operator of communications satellites
• Avanti Communications
• Hispasat – Spanish satellite operator
• JSAT Corporation – First private Japanese satellite operator
• Spacecom – Israeli communications satellite operator
• Thaicom – Thai company
• Yahsat – Satellite communications company

• Earth observation satellite operators

• Commercial Earth observation operators

• Airbus Defence and Space – Division of Airbus
• BlackSky – American aerospace company
• Capella Space – American space company
• DigitalGlobe – American space imagery company
• GeoEye – American commercial satellite imaging company
• ICEYE – Finnish microsatellite manufacturer
• ImageSat International – Israeli commercial Earth observation satellite series
• Maxar Technologies – American space technology company (2017–2025)
• Planet Labs – American space technology company
• Satellogic – American space technology company
• SI Imaging Services – South Korean aerospace company
• Skybox Imaging – Constellation of small Earth observation satellites
• Spire Global – Space-to-cloud data and analytics company

• Government and public Earth observation operators

• U.S. Geological Survey – Scientific agency of the US government

• Military satellite operators

• Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Aerospace service branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
• Defence Space Agency – Indian Armed Forces Agency/Unit responsible for space warfare
• National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency – US DoD division
• Space Operations Command – U.S. Space Force command
• Space Systems Command – U.S. Space Force space development, acquisition, launch, and logistics field command

• Navigation satellite operators

• Cabinet Office (Japan) – Agency in the Cabinet of Japan
• European Union Agency for the Space Programme – Agency of the European Union

• Galileo (satellite navigation) – European global navigation satellite system

• Indian Space Research Organisation – Indian national space and aeronautics agency

• Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System – Satellite navigation system

• Roscosmos – Space agency of Russia

• GLONASS – Russian global navigation satellite system

• Satellite-based augmentation system – Method of improving a navigation system
• U.S. Space Force – Space service branch of the U.S. military

• Global Positioning System – American satellite-based radio navigation service
• GPS satellite blocks – Generations of US navigation satellites

• Civil space agencies

• African civil space agencies

• Egyptian Space Agency – Official Egyptian space program
• National Space Research and Development Agency – National space agency of Nigeria
• South African National Space Agency – Space agency of the South African government

• Asian civil space agencies

• China National Space Administration – National space agency of the People's Republic of China
• Indian Space Research Organisation – Indian national space and aeronautics agency
• Iranian Space Agency – Iran's governmental space agency
• Israel Space Agency – Government space agency of Israel
• Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency – Japan's national air and space agency
• Korea AeroSpace Administration – South Korean government agency
• Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre – Dubai government entity
• United Arab Emirates Space Agency – Government agency

• European civil space agencies

• European Space Agency – European organisation dedicated to space exploration
• German Aerospace Center – German research center for aerospace and power engineering
• Italian Space Agency – Italian government agency
• Norwegian Space Agency – Government agency of the Norwegian space programme
• Polish Space Agency – Polish state space agency
• Portuguese Space Agency
• Roscosmos – Space agency of Russia
• Spanish Space Agency – Spanish agency for Space affairs
• Swedish National Space Agency – Swedish Government organisation
• UK Space Agency – Space agency of the UK Government

• Global and multinational agencies

• European Space Agency – European organisation dedicated to space exploration

• North American civil space agencies

• Canadian Space Agency – Government agency
• Mexican Space Agency – National space agency of Mexico
• NASA – American space and aeronautics agency

• Oceanian civil space agencies

• Australian Space Agency – Space-related agency of the Australian government
• New Zealand Space Agency

• South American civil space agencies

• Brazilian Space Agency – Space program agency of Brazil
• CONAE – Argentine space agency

• International space organizations

• Committee on Earth Observation Satellites – International organization
• Group on Earth Observations – Scientific coordination organization
• International Astronautical Federation – International space advocacy organization
• International Charter Space and Major Disasters – Non-binding multinational alliance
• International Telecommunication Union – Specialized agency of the United Nations
• United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space – United Nations committee
• United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs – Space agency

• Meteorological satellite agencies

• Meteorological satellite agencies by country

• China Meteorological Administration – Meteorological agency of the People's Republic of China
• India Meteorological Department – Meteorological agency of the Government of India
• Japan Meteorological Agency – National meteorological service of Japan
• Korea Meteorological Administration – Meteorological service of South Korea
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – US government scientific agency

• Global and international meteorological satellite agencies

• Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites
• European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites – European intergovernmental organisation
• World Meteorological Organization – Specialized agency of the United Nations

• Military space agencies

• Chinese military space agencies

• People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force – Former cyber and space force of the People's Liberation Army (2015–2024)

• French military space agencies

• French Space Command – Space command of the French Air and Space Force

• Indian military space agencies

• Defence Space Agency – Indian Armed Forces Agency/Unit responsible for space warfare

• Iranian military space agencies

• Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Aerospace service branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

• Russian military space agencies

• Russian Space Forces – Branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces

• U.S. military space agencies

• Space Development Agency – U.S. federal agency
• Space Operations Command – U.S. Space Force command
• Space Systems Command – U.S. Space Force space development, acquisition, launch, and logistics field command
• U.S. Space Command – Unified command of the U.S. Department of Defense
• U.S. Space Force – Space service branch of the U.S. military

Communications satellite programs include geostationary systems that provide services from apparently fixed positions, non-geostationary constellations in low or medium Earth orbit that provide broadband coverage, and mobile-satellite systems that support users away from fixed terminals.^[148][206] Government and relay systems add specialized links for military, tactical, civil-space, or spacecraft-to-ground communications, including inter-satellite relay networks that pass mission data through other spacecraft.^{[207][208][209]}

• Geostationary communications satellite series

• ABS-3A – All-electric geostationary communications satellite
• Afghansat 1 – Communications satellite
• Amazonas 5 – Spanish communications satellite
• Arabsat-6A – Saudi Arabian communications satellite
• AsiaSat 3S – Asiasat communications satellite
• Astra 1M – Communications satellite
• Atlantic Bird – Series of satellites
• Azerspace-1/Africasat-1a – Azerbaijani communications satellite
• Azerspace-2 – Telecommunications satellite
• Badr-4
• Belintersat-1 – Telecommunications satellite
• BulgariaSat-1 – Geostationary communications satellite
• Hot Bird – French satellite company
• Telkom-4 – Indonesian communications satellite
• Yuri (satellite) – Japanese satellite

• Low Earth orbit broadband constellations

• Atlantic Constellation – European constellation of Earth observation satellites
• Balkan Constellation – European satellite constellation for Earth observation
• Bureau 1440 – Russian satellite internet constellation
• E-Space – Satellite communications company
• Hydra (satellite constellation) – Spanish thermal imaging satellite constellation

• Mobile communications constellations

• ACeS
• AfriStar – Satellite
• AsiaStar – American space communications satellite
• Garuda 1 – Indonesian communications satellite
• SkyTerra – Former telecommunications company
• TerreStar-1

• Government communications systems

• Blagovest (satellite) – Russian military satellite system
• Mobile User Objective System – US Space Force communications satellite system
• MUOS-5 – US Navy Comsat satellite
• Satellite Data System – American military satellite communication system
• SICRAL 1B – Italian military communications satellite
• TacSat-1
• TacSat-2 – US military satellite
• TacSat-3 – U.S. military satellite
• TacSat-5
• Tactical Satellite Program – US Air Force series of satellites

• Commercial communications operators

• Astranis – American satellite company
• Azercosmos – Space Agency of Azerbaijan
• Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited – Bangladesh government-owned company
• Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation – Japanese satellite operator
• Telkom Indonesia – Indonesian telecommunications company

• Inter-satellite relay systems

• HydRON – European satellite communication constellation project
• Laser Communications Relay Demonstration – NASA payload launched in 2021
• MUBLCOM

Earth observation programs use satellites and constellations to collect repeated measurements of Earth's land, oceans, atmosphere, ice, and human activity.^{[210][211][212]} Major programs include long-running public missions such as Landsat,^[213] the Copernicus Programme,^[214] Earth Observing System,^[215][216] Cartosat,^[217] along with disaster-monitoring and commercial imaging constellations.^[218][219]

• Landsat program

• Landsat 2 – American earth observation satellite (1975–1982)
• Landsat 3 – American earth observation satellite (1978–1983)
• Landsat 4 – American earth observation satellite (1982–2001)
• Landsat 6 – American earth observation satellite

• Sentinel satellites

• Sentinel-1A – European radar imaging satellite
• Sentinel-1B – European radar imaging satellite
• Sentinel-1C – European radar imaging satellite
• Sentinel-2A – European optical imaging satellite
• Sentinel-2B – European optical imaging satellite
• Sentinel-2C – European optical imaging satellite
• Sentinel-3A – ESA Earth observation satellite
• Sentinel-3B – ESA Earth observation satellite

• Earth Observing System

• Earth Observing System – NASA program involving satellites
• Earth Observing-1 – Former Earth Observation Satellite

• Cartosat satellites

• Cartosat-1 – Indian earth observation satellite
• Cartosat-2 – Indian Earth observation satellite
• Cartosat-2A – Indian Earth observation satellite, 2008–2025
• Cartosat-2B – Indian earth observation satellite
• Cartosat-2C – Indian earth observation satellite
• Cartosat-2D – Indian earth observation satellite
• Cartosat-2E – Indian earth observation satellite
• Cartosat-2F – Indian earth observation satellite
• Cartosat-3 – Indian earth observation satellite

• Resourcesat satellites

• Resourcesat-1 – Indian earth observation satellite
• Resourcesat-2A – Indian Earth observation satellite

• Disaster Monitoring Constellation

• Deimos-1 – Spanish Earth imaging satellite
• UK-DMC 2 – British remote sensing satellite

• Commercial Earth imaging constellations

• BlackSky Pathfinder-1 – Earth imaging satellite launched in 2016
• Dove-2 – Earth observation satellite
• ÑuSat – Series of Argentinean commercial Earth observation satellites
• SkySat – Constellation of small Earth observation satellites
• WorldView-1 – Commercial Earth observation satellite
• WorldView-2 – Commercial Earth observation satellite
• WorldView-4 – American Earth observation satellite

Military and reconnaissance satellites, spacecraft, and constellations are built for defense communications, missile warning, surveillance, and intelligence collection.^{[220][221][222]} They include generations of secure communications systems, infrared warning constellations, and photographic, electro-optical, radar, signals-intelligence, and other reconnaissance programs operated by national security agencies and armed forces.^{[221][223][224][225][226]}

• Advanced Extremely High Frequency

• Advanced Extremely High Frequency – Series of American military communications satellites
• Defense Satellite Communications System – Defense satellite communications project
• Milstar – Constellation of American military satellites

• Corona program

• CORONA (satellite) – American reconnaissance satellites (1959–1972)^[8]
• Discoverer 1 – American reconnaissance satellite launched in 1959; failed to achieve orbit
• Discoverer 13 – American reconnaissance satellite
• Discoverer 14 – American reconnaissance satellite
• KH-7 Gambit – Series of United States reconnaissance satellites
• KH-8 Gambit 3 – Series of United States reconnaissance satellites
• KH-9 Hexagon – American family of spy satellites

• Defense Support Program

• Defense Support Program – US infrared satellite early warning system
• Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared – American ballistic defense program
• Overhead Persistent Infrared
• Space-Based Infrared System – Missile warning and defence system

• Indian reconnaissance programs

• Space Based Surveillance project (India) – Multi-phased Indian programme to launch spy satellites

• Keyhole satellites

• Enhanced Imaging System – American reconnaissance satellite program
• Future Imagery Architecture – American spy satellite program
• KH-11 KENNEN – Type of American spy satellite
• Zirconic – US spy satellite program

• Lacrosse satellites

• COSMO-SkyMed – Italian radar observation satellite system
• Onyx (satellite) – Series of American terrestrial radar imaging reconnaissance satellites
• SAR-Lupe – German military reconnaissance satellite system
• TerraSAR-X – German Earth observation satellite

• Oko satellites

• Oko – Soviet (now Russian) satellite-based early warning system for ballistic missiles

• Skynet satellites

• Airbus Defence and Space – Division of Airbus
• Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) – UK Government department responsible for defence
• Skynet (satellite) – Communications satellite

• Yaogan satellites

• Yaogan – Chinese military reconnaissance satellite program

Navigation satellite systems are long-running infrastructure programs that provide positioning, navigation, and timing services through constellations of dedicated spacecraft.^[227][228] They include global systems, regional systems, augmentation systems, replacement satellite blocks, and earlier navigation programs that were superseded as satellite navigation matured.^{[227][229][230][231]}.

• Global Positioning System

• GPS Block II – Generations of US navigation satellites
• GPS Block IIA – Generations of US navigation satellites
• GPS Block IIF – Operational generation of GPS satellites
• GPS Block IIR – Generations of US navigation satellites
• GPS Block III – Current generation of GPS satellites
• GPS IIR-1 – First of new class of GPS satellite, destroyed soon after launch in January 1997
• Navstar 7 – Failed American navigation satellite
• Wide Area GPS Enhancement

• GLONASS

• GLONASS (first-generation satellites)
• GLONASS-K2 – Russian navigation satellite
• History of GLONASS

• Galileo

• GIOVE – European Space Agency satellites

• BeiDou

• Compass-G1 – Chinese navigation satellite
• Compass-IGSO1 – Chinese navigation satellite

• Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System

• IRNSS-1A – Indian navigation satellite
• IRNSS-1B – Indian navigation satellite
• IRNSS-1C – Indian navigation satellite
• IRNSS-1D – Indian Earth observation satellite, 2015–2025
• IRNSS-1E – Indian navigation satellite
• IRNSS-1F – Indian navigation satellite
• IRNSS-1G – Indian navigation satellite
• IRNSS-1H – Indian navigation satellite
• IRNSS-1I – Indian navigation satellite
• NVS-01 – Indian navigation satellite
• NVS-02 – Indian navigation satellite

• Quasi-Zenith Satellite System

• QZS-1 – Japanese regional navigation satellite system
• QZS-1R – Japanese navigation satellite
• QZS-2 – Japanese regional navigation satellite system
• QZS-3 – Japanese regional navigation satellite system
• QZS-4 – Japanese regional navigation satellite system
• QZS-5 – Japanese navigation satellite
• QZS-6 – Japanese navigation satellite
• QZS-7 – Japanese regional navigation satellite system

• Defunct navigation systems

• Nadezhda (satellite)
• Parus (satellite) – Soviet/Russian communication and navigation satellite constellation
• Transit 3B – American satellite designed to study geodesy
• Transit 5E-1 – Artificial satellite of the United States Department of Defense
• Tsikada

Scientific satellite programs use space-based observatories and instrumented spacecraft to make measurements that are blocked, blurred, or otherwise limited from the ground.^[232][233] They include mission lines, observatory families, instruments, science centers, and servicing programs used to study the universe, the cosmic microwave background, the heliosphere, and the space environment.^{[233][234][235][236][237][199]}

• Chandra X-ray Observatory

• Chandra X-ray Observatory – NASA space telescope launched in 1999

• Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer
• Chandra Deep Field South – Astronomical survey in Fornax
• High Resolution Camera

• Cosmic Background Explorer

• COBE Differential Microwave Radiometer
• Cosmic Background Explorer – NASA satellite of the Explorer program
• Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment
• Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer

• Explorer program

• Cosmic Background Explorer – NASA satellite of the Explorer program
• Explorer 1 – First satellite launched by the United States (1958)
• Explorers Program – Ongoing NASA space exploration program
• International Sun-Earth Explorer – NASA satellite of the Explorer program
• Interplanetary Monitoring Platform – NASA program to investigate interplanetary plasma and magnetic field
• Interstellar Boundary Explorer – NASA satellite of the Explorer program
• Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe – NASA satellite of the Explorer program

• Great Observatories program

• Chandra X-ray Observatory – NASA space telescope launched in 1999
• Compton Gamma Ray Observatory – NASA space observatory designed to detect X-rays and gamma rays (1991–2000)
• Great Observatories program – Series of NASA satellites
• Hubble Space Telescope – NASA/ESA space telescope launched in 1990
• Spitzer Space Telescope – NASA infrared space telescope (2003–2020)

• Hubble Space Telescope

• Advanced Camera for Surveys – Installed on HST March 2002
• Cosmic Origins Spectrograph – Instrument installed on the Hubble Space Telescope
• Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions
• Space Telescope Science Institute – Science operations center operated by NASA
• Wide Field Camera 3 – Astronomical camera on the Hubble Space Telescope

• Planck spacecraft

• European Space Agency – European organisation dedicated to space exploration
• Planck (spacecraft) – Space observatory

• Spitzer Space Telescope

• Infrared Array Camera
• Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer – NASA infrared space telescope (2003–2020)
• Spitzer Science Center – Private university in Pasadena, California

• Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe

• Cosmic Background Explorer – NASA satellite of the Explorer program
• Planck (spacecraft) – Space observatory
• Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe – NASA satellite of the Explorer program

• Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites

The first image from the GOES-1 satellite in 1975 (black and white). Below, an image of Earth from Elektro-L No.3 in 2025 (color).

• Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite – US weather satellite series

• GOES 13 – U.S. Space Force weather satellite
• GOES 14 – NOAA weather satellite
• GOES 15 – US Space Force weather satellite
• GOES-17 – NOAA weather satellite
• GOES-18 – NOAA weather satellite
• List of GOES satellites

• Himawari satellite series

• Multi-Functional Transport Satellite – Series of weather and aviation control satellites

• Television Infrared Observation Satellites

• TIROS-2 – Former American weather satellite
• TIROS-3 – Former American weather satellite
• TIROS-4 – Former American weather satellite
• TIROS-5 – Former American weather satellite
• TIROS-6 – Former American weather satellite
• TIROS-7 – Former American weather satellite
• TIROS-8 – Former American weather satellite
• TIROS-9 – Former American weather satellite
• TIROS-M – Deactivated weather satellite

• Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites

• NOAA-2 – Weather satellite (1972–1975)
• NOAA-3 – Deactivated weather satellite
• NOAA-4 – Weather satellite operated by NOAA
• NOAA-5 – Weather satellite operated by NOAA
• NOAA-6 – American weather satellite
• NOAA-7 – Weather satellite (1981–1986)
• NOAA-8 – Weather satellite
• NOAA-9 – American weather satellite
• NOAA-10 – American weather satellite
• NOAA-11 – American weather satellite (1988–2004)
• NOAA-12 – American weather satellite (1991–2007)
• NOAA-14 – American weather satellite (1994–2007)
• NOAA-15 – American weather satellite (1998–2025)
• NOAA-16 – American weather satellite (2000–2014)
• NOAA-17 – American weather satellite (2002–2013)
• NOAA-18 – American weather satellite (2005–2025)

• Meteor satellites

• Meteor-1 1
• Meteor-3M No.1 – Weather satellite
• Meteor-M No.1 – Russian weather satellite (2009–2014)
• Meteor-M No.2 – Russian weather satellite
• Meteor-M No.2-1 – Russian space satellite
• Meteor-M No.2-2

• Other weather satellite series

• Elektro–L – Russian meteorological satellites

The ground segment is the Earth-based part of a satellite mission, linking spacecraft operations to command uplinks, telemetry reception, payload-data delivery, calibration, validation, and user access.^{[186][238][239][240]} It includes ground stations, mission control centers, control networks, processing centers, teleports, and user terminals.^{[186][238][240][182]: 1}

• Calibration and validation sites

• EUREF Permanent Network
• Ground sample distance – Distance between pixel centers in remote sensing
• Ground truth – Information provided by direct observation
• Lincoln Calibration Sphere 1 – Radar calibration satellite
• On-The-Fly Calibration
• Sfera (calibration satellite) – Small passive satellite deployed during a spacewalk from the ISS in August 2012

• Data processing centers

• Goddard Space Flight Center – NASA research facility in Maryland
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory – NASA federally funded research and development center

• Ground stations

• Antenna tracking system
• Controlled reception pattern antenna – Active antennas that are designed to resist radio jamming
• Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System – Network of American communications satellites^[7]
• Tracking and data relay satellite – American communications satellite^[7]

• Mission control centers

• European Space Operations Centre – Main mission control centre for the European Space Agency
• Goddard Space Flight Center – NASA research facility in Maryland
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory – NASA federally funded research and development center
• Space Operations Command – U.S. Space Force command

• Satellite control networks

• ACTS Gigabit Satellite Network – Prototype communications system
• Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System – Network of American communications satellites^[7]

• Teleports

• Broadband Global Area Network – Global satellite network
• Inmarsat – British satellite communications company

• User terminals

• Controlled reception pattern antenna – Active antennas that are designed to resist radio jamming
• Globalstar – Global satellite telecommunications company
• Inmarsat – British satellite communications company
• Iridium Communications – American satellite communications company

A satellite payload is the mission equipment carried to perform the satellite's useful work, distinct from the spacecraft bus that supports it.^[241][242] Payloads may observe, measure, relay, navigate, time, image, or sense using instruments such as cameras,^[243] radar,^[244] radiometers,^[245] sounders,^[246][247] spectrometers,^[248][249] magnetometers,^[250][251] particle detectors,^[252][253] transponders,^[254] and clocks.^[255]

• Altimeters

• Electrostatic Gravity Gradiometer – ESA satellite to map Earth's gravity field
• Jason satellite series – Series of Earth observation satellites
• Ka-band Radar Interferometer – NASA/CNES oceanography mission (2022–present)
• Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-surface – Ice-penetrating radar for Europa Clipper
• TOPEX/Poseidon – Satellite mission to map ocean surface topography

• Communications payloads

• Hosted payload
• Laser Interconnect and Networking Communication System – Laser communication in space test cubesats
• Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System – Network of American communications satellites^[7]
• Transponder (satellite communications) – Device or series of devices that receive, then transmit (relay) a signal^[5]

• Imaging payloads

• Advanced Camera for Surveys – Installed on HST March 2002
• Advanced Land Imager – Former Earth Observation Satellite
• Apollo TV camera – Portable TV camera suitable for space operations
• Array of Low Energy X-ray Imaging Sensors – Decommissioned American X-ray telescope
• Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera – American solar research spacecraft
• Faint Object Camera – Installed on HST from 1990 to 2002
• Geostationary Ocean Color Imager
• High Resolution Coronal Imager – Suborbital solar telescope
• Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean – Observation sensor on the International Space Station
• Meteosat visible and infrared imager
• Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols
• Optical Sensor Assembly – Commercial Earth observation satellite
• Solar X-ray Imager
• Wide Field Camera 3 – Astronomical camera on the Hubble Space Telescope

• Infrared payloads

• Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer – Japanese imaging device aboard NASA's Terra satellite
• Advanced Very-High-Resolution Radiometer – Space-borne earth reflectance sensor
• Atmospheric infrared sounder – Science instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite
• Far-infrared Outgoing Radiation Understanding and Monitoring – Future ESA satellite to study Earth's radiation budget
• Fast Infrared Exoplanet Spectroscopy Survey Explorer – Proposed space telescope
• Infrared atmospheric sounding interferometer
• Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer – Payload imaging sensor
• Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer
• Special Sensor Ultraviolet Limb Imager
• Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite – Spacecraft instrument

• Magnetometers

• Europa Clipper Magnetometer – Europa Clipper's magnetometer instrument
• Magnetometer (Juno) – Scientific instrument on the Juno space probe

• Navigation payloads

• Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System – American weather satellite system
• GPS timing – Clock which synchronizes its time using radio transmitters
• Precise Point Positioning – GPS data processing technique

• Particle detectors

• CubeSat for Solar Particles – Nanosatellite
• Dark Matter Particle Explorer – Chinese science satellite
• Particle Astrophysics Magnet Facility
• Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer – NASA satellite of the Explorer program

• Radiometers

• Automatic picture transmission – Weather image transmission system
• Electrically scanning microwave radiometer – Instrument carried by the Nimbus 5 & 6 satellites
• Microwave Imaging Radiometer with Aperture Synthesis
• Radiometer Assessment using Vertically Aligned Nanotubes
• Scanning multichannel microwave radiometer
• Special sensor microwave/imager
• Weather System Follow-on Microwave Program – American meteorology satellite

• Radar payloads

• CloudSat – NASA Earth observation satellite
• Global Precipitation Measurement – Joint mission between JAXA and NASA
• JERS-1
• Ka-band Radar Interferometer – NASA/CNES oceanography mission (2022–present)
• NISAR (satellite) – Joint NASA-ISRO synthetic radar aperture spacecraft
• Scatterometer – Meteorological instrumentation
• Seasat – American ocean observation satellite (1978)
• SeaWinds – Earth observation satellite
• Synthetic-aperture radar – Form of radar used to create images of landscapes
• Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission – Joint space mission between NASA and JAXA

• Scientific instruments

• Alice (spacecraft instrument) – Ultraviolet imaging spectrometer aboard New Horizons and Rosetta
• Aquarius (SAC-D instrument) – NASA instrument aboard the Argentine SAC-D spacecraft
• Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor – ISS-based upper-atmospheric lightning observation project
• Fine Guidance Sensor (HST) – Hubble Space Telescope instrument system
• Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation – Scientific space mission
• High Speed Photometer – Scientific instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope

• Sounders

• Advanced microwave sounding unit – Instrument installed on meteorological satellites
• Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder
• High-resolution dynamics limb sounder
• Infrared atmospheric sounding interferometer
• Microwave humidity sounder
• Microwave limb sounder – Satellite measurement technique
• Microwave Sounding Unit temperature measurements
• Microwave sounding unit – Satellite instrument for atmospheric monitoring

• Spectrometers

• Cosmic Origins Spectrograph – Instrument installed on the Hubble Space Telescope
• Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite – Japanese Earth observation satellite
• Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite-2 – Japanese Earth observation satellite
• Miniature X-ray Solar Spectrometer CubeSat – NASA satellite
• Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite – Instruments to measure ozone distribution
• Ozone monitoring instrument – Earth observation satellite
• Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer
• Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer

• Timing payloads

• Deep Space Atomic Clock – Atomic clock used for radio navigation in space
• GPS timing – Clock which synchronizes its time using radio transmitters
• Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer – NASA satellite of the Explorer program

The space segment is the orbital part of a satellite system: the spacecraft, its payloads, onboard computers, software, and support subsystems operating in space.^[256][257] It includes the spacecraft bus, power, thermal control, propulsion, communications, command and data handling, fault protection, attitude control, structure, and payload subsystems.

• Attitude determination and control system

• Control moment gyroscope – Attitude control device
• Gyroscope – Device for measuring or maintaining orientation
• Inertial measurement unit – Accelerometer-based navigational device
• Magnetorquer – Satellite system
• Reaction wheel – Attitude control device used in spacecraft
• Spacecraft attitude determination and control – Process of controlling orientation of an aerospace vehicle
• Star tracker – Type of optical device

• Command and data handling system

• Comparison of satellite buses

• Shuttle pallet satellite – Part of NASA's Space Shuttle

• NASA Standard Spacecraft Computer-I – Component for the MultiMission Modular Spacecraft

• Communications subsystem

• Antenna tracking system
• Inflatable Antenna Experiment
• Transponder (satellite communications) – Device or series of devices that receive, then transmit (relay) a signal^[5]

• Fault protection

• Safe mode (spacecraft) – Uncrewed spacecraft mode
• Spacecraft attitude determination and control – Process of controlling orientation of an aerospace vehicle

• Onboard computer

• NASA Standard Spacecraft Computer-I – Component for the MultiMission Modular Spacecraft
• Spacecraft computer

• Payload subsystem

• Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment – Communication satellite
• Hosted payload

• Power system

• List of nuclear power systems in space
• Radioisotope thermoelectric generator – Electrical generator that uses heat from radioactive decay
• Solar panel – Assembly of photovoltaic cells used to generate electricity
• Space-based solar power – Concept of collecting solar power in outer space and distributing it to Earth

• Propulsion system

• Cold gas thruster – Type of rocket engine
• Hall-effect thruster – Type of electric propulsion system
• Ion thruster – Form of electric spacecraft propulsion
• Monopropellant rocket – Rocket that uses a single propellant with a catalyst
• Propellantless propulsion – Spacecraft propulsion without on-board reaction mass
• Spacecraft electric propulsion – Type of spacecraft propulsion using electrical energy to accelerate propellant
• Spacecraft propulsion – Method used to accelerate spacecraft

• Spacecraft bus

• Alphabus – Family of geostationary communications satellites
• AMOS (satellite bus) – Satellite bus
• Comparison of satellite buses
• Eurostar (satellite bus) – Telecommunications satellite platform
• Eurostar E3000 – Series of satellite bus
• GEOStar
• List of Spacebus satellites
• Modular Common Spacecraft Bus – General purpose spacecraft platform
• Multi-mission Modular Spacecraft
• Spacebus – Brand of satellite bus
• Spacebus 100 – Brand of satellite bus
• Spacebus 2000 – Brand of satellite bus
• Spacebus 3000 – Brand of satellite bus
• Spacebus 4000 – Brand of satellite bus
• Spacecraft bus – Main body and structural component of the satellite

• Structure

• Monocoque – Structural design that supports loads through an object's external skin
• Spacecraft structure – Vehicle or machine designed to fly in space

• Thermal control system

• Heat pipe – Heat-transfer device that employs phase transition
• Multi-layer insulation – Thermal insulation using several thin layers
• Radioisotope thermoelectric generator – Electrical generator that uses heat from radioactive decay
• Spacecraft thermal control – Process of keeping all parts of a spacecraft within acceptable temperature ranges

The spacecraft and ground operators are connected in myriad ways during routine operations and contingencies. Tracking determines spacecraft position, telemetry reports spacecraft health and status, and commanding sends instructions to the satellite, with communications security protecting control and data flows.

• Tracking

• Antenna tracking system
• Doppler effect – Frequency change of a wave for observer relative to its source
• Satellite ground track – Path on the surface of the Earth or another body directly below an aircraft or satellite
• Satellite laser ranging – Type of satellite laser

• Telemetry and commanding

• Downlink – Communication channel between two or more devices
• Link budget – Accounting of signal gains and losses in communications
• Telecommand – Method of controlling a remote system
• Telemetry – Automatic collection and transmission of data
• Transponder (satellite communications) – Device or series of devices that receive, then transmit (relay) a signal^[5]
• Uplink – Communication channel between two or more devices

• Ground infrastructure

• Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems – Coordinator of data standards for space communication
• Ground station – Terrestrial radio station for communication with spacecraft
• Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System – Network of American communications satellites^[7]

• Security

• Authentication – Act of proving an assertion
• Encryption – Process of converting plaintext to ciphertext

Anti-satellite weapons and related counterspace systems are used or developed to disrupt, degrade, damage, or destroy satellites and space services. Major categories include direct-ascent weapons, co-orbital systems, directed-energy weapons, and electronic attacks such as jamming or spoofing.

• Co-orbital and directed-energy anti-satellite weapons

• Directed-energy weapon – Type of weapon that fires a concentrated beam of energy at its target
• Istrebitel Sputnikov – Soviet anti-satellite weapon program
• Laser weapon – Directed-energy weapon using lasers
• Militarisation of space – Use of outer space for military aims
• Space warfare – Combat that takes place in outer space
• Space weapon – Weapons used in space warfare

• Direct-ascent anti-satellite weapons

• 2007 Chinese anti-satellite missile test – Largest field of space debris in history
• Anti-satellite missile – Kinetic energy device designed to destroy satellites in orbit
• Anti-satellite weapon – Kinetic energy device designed to destroy satellites in orbit
• ASM-135 ASAT
• Kosmos 1408 – Soviet artificial satellite destroyed by an ASAT missile
• Mission Shakti – First Indian anti-satellite weapon test
• SC-19
• USA-193 – U.S. military satellite (2006–2008)

• Electronic anti-satellite attacks

• Electronic countermeasure – Electronic device for deceiving detection systems
• Electronic warfare – Combat involving electronics and directed energy
• GNSS jamming – Radio jamming of satellite navigation signals
• Radio jamming – Interference with authorized wireless communications

Satellites, rocket bodies, and orbital debris are tracked to predict close approaches, assess conjunction risk, and support maneuvers that reduce the chance of collision. This area includes collision events, debris-producing events, space-object catalogs, surveillance sensors, and space situational awareness systems used to monitor objects in orbit.

• Close approaches

• Collision avoidance (spacecraft) – Form of collision management in aeronautics
• Satellite Catalog Number – NORAD satellite identifier

• Collision avoidance maneuvers

• Collision avoidance (spacecraft) – Form of collision management in aeronautics

• Conjunction assessment

• Collision avoidance (spacecraft) – Form of collision management in aeronautics
• Satellite Catalog Number – NORAD satellite identifier

• Satellite collisions and debris-producing events

• 2009 satellite collision – First hypervelocity spacecraft collision
• 2007 Chinese anti-satellite missile test – Largest field of space debris in history
• Iridium 33 – Communications satellite operated by Iridium Communications
• Kosmos 1408 – Soviet artificial satellite destroyed by an ASAT missile
• Kosmos 2251 – Defunct Russian military communications satellite, operational from 1993 to 1995
• List of space debris producing events
• Operation Burnt Frost – 2008 military operation to destroy a non-functioning U.S. satellite
• Satellite collision – Collision involving one or more satellites in orbit

• Space situational awareness and surveillance

• Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program – American military space surveillance program
• Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite – Microsatellite from Canada
• Radar Fence Transponder – Amateur radio satellite
• Satellite Catalog Number – NORAD satellite identifier
• Space Based Space Surveillance – American military space surveillance program

Satellite security covers threats to spacecraft, ground systems, radio links, and user equipment, including cyberattack, jamming, spoofing, electromagnetic interference,^[258] and the radiation environment.^{[259][260][261][262][263]} Responses include computer security, radiation hardening, spectrum monitoring,^[264] interference reporting, anti-jam and anti-spoofing measures,^[265] and other protections that preserve command, communications, navigation, and mission data.^{[266][268][269][270]}

• Cybersecurity

• Computer security – Protection of computer systems from information disclosure, theft or damage
• Spoofing attack – Type of cyber attack

• Satellite protection and hardening

• Radiation hardening – Making devices resist ionizing radiation
• Space situational awareness – Surveillance from and of the outer space environment

• Satellite jamming and spoofing

• Electromagnetic interference – Disturbance in an electrical circuit due to external sources of radio waves
• Electronic counter-countermeasure – Part of electronic warfare
• GNSS spoofing – Type of spoofing attack
• Health and environmental effects of satellite signal jamming in Iran
• Meaconing – Electronic countermeasure

• Spectrum monitoring

• International Telecommunication Union – Specialized agency of the United Nations
• Radio spectrum – Electromagnetic spectrum, 3 Hz – 3000 GHz
• Spectrum management – Regulating the use of radio frequencies to promote efficient use

Space debris includes defunct satellites, spent rocket bodies, fragments, and other human-made objects that remain in orbit and can threaten operational spacecraft.^{[271][272][273][274]} Debris work includes tracking and cataloging objects, preventing new debris through mitigation and disposal practices, removing selected objects, managing reentry risk, and studying cascade risks such as Kessler syndrome alongside related particle hazards from micrometeoroids.^{[275][276][277]}

• Debris mitigation

• ClearSpace-1 - Planned European mission to demonstrate space debris removal
• Deorbit of Mir - Controlled atmospheric entry of Mir over the Pacific
• Graveyard orbit - Spacecraft end-of-life orbit
• List of space debris producing events
• RemoveDEBRIS – Project to demonstrate various space debris removal technologies

• Debris removal

• ClearSpace-1 – Planned European mission to demonstrate space debris removal
• RemoveDEBRIS – Project to demonstrate various space debris removal technologies

• Debris tracking

• List of reentering space debris
• List of space debris producing events

• Kessler syndrome

• Fengyun – Chinese weather satellites
• Iridium 33 – Communications satellite operated by Iridium Communications
• Kessler syndrome – Theoretical satellite collision cascade
• Kosmos 954 – Reconnaissance satellite of Soviet Union
• List of space debris producing events