Constellations A low Earth orbit satellite flies about 160 to 2,000 km up, close enough to cut latency to tens of milliseconds. Why that needs thousands of satellites.
Satellite Comms Direct to cell links an ordinary phone straight to a satellite, no dish needed. Here is how satellite-to-phone service works and where its limits sit.
Basics Learn how 32 satellites, atomic clocks, and four-satellite trilateration give phones, aircraft, and receivers an exact position on Earth, free of charge.
Satellite Technology How does a satellite work? Buses, payloads, solar power, orbits, station-keeping, and the ground stations that run them, explained in plain language.
Constellations Compare major satellite constellations across broadband, navigation, voice, and defense. Track satellite counts, orbital shells, and regulatory filings.
Basics Satellites are tracked by military radar and published as orbital elements that apps turn into pass times. Compare the main tracking tools and accuracy.
Constellations Starlink is SpaceX's low-orbit broadband network. Here is how the dish, the constellation, coverage, speeds, and use cases work, in plain language.
Satellite Comms Satellite internet routes data through orbiting satellites instead of buried cable, and orbit altitude decides whether the connection feels fast or slow.
Constellations Project Kuiper, now Amazon Leo, is Amazon's low-orbit broadband network. Satellites up so far, the FCC deadline fight, and how it compares to Starlink.
Satellite Engineering A satellite bus is the spacecraft platform that supplies power, propulsion, and pointing so the payload on top can do its job. It has six core subsystems.
Satellite Comms The fastest satellite internet in 2026 and the real Starlink alternatives: Starlink, Amazon Leo, Viasat, HughesNet and OneWeb on speed, price and coverage.
Satellite Comms Satellite communications careers split into engineering, technician, and operator roles, with paths via military MOS training and ground-segment work.
Constellations China is building two broadband megaconstellations of more than 20,000 satellites. Guowang and Qianfan compared on operator, satellites in orbit and pace.
Constellations Starlink is the only one of the two a household can buy today. Compare Amazon Leo and Starlink on fleet size, coverage, latency, pricing, and rockets.
Constellations How to see Starlink satellites: why they form a bright moving train, when they're visible, free trackers to use, and why they concern astronomers.
Satellite Comms Iridium reaches the poles and mid-ocean, Globalstar and Thuraya cover regions, and direct-to-cell handles texting. Compare coverage, hardware, and billing.
Satellite Comms Starlink charges two separate costs. The hardware kit is a one-time purchase you own outright, and the monthly service plan changes by tier and by address.
Military Military satellites handle secure communications, early missile warning, reconnaissance, and navigation. Learn how they work and how types differ.
Constellations IRIS2 is the European Union (EU) secure satellite constellation of 348 spacecraft. Learn who is building it, what it costs, and when it launches.
Comparisons Compare Starlink and HughesNet on speed, latency, pricing, hardware, data policies, contracts, and orbit physics to see which fits your household.
Military Space SpaceX Starshield adapts Starlink satellites for defense users. Learn how its encrypted bus operates, who holds tasking authority, and what is on orbit.
Satellite Comms Starlink Mobile, formerly Starlink Direct to Cell, vs AST SpaceMobile: how their fleets, satellite designs, carrier partners and spectrum plans differ.
Comparisons Compare Starlink and Viasat on speed, latency, monthly pricing, data allowances, contracts, and commercial aviation deployments across 2026 data.
Comparisons Starshield vs Starlink compares SpaceX defense satellites to consumer broadband across hardware buses, user equipment, encryption, contracts, and control.
Constellations The Iridium satellite network provides global voice, data, and IoT tracking from low Earth orbit. History, constellation design, and services explained.
Military Space Ukraine continues to use Starlink across front lines. Learn who pays for the terminals, how the Starshield contract works, and who controls the connection.
Constellations Deciding if Starlink is worth it depends on your options: rural households gain fast speeds, while wired fiber or cable remains the superior choice.
Constellations Starlink for RV uses the Roam plan family and Starlink Mini hardware. Compare pricing tiers, in-motion support, speeds, and power requirements for travel.
Satellite Engineering Mobile satellite service (MSS) is a telecom category for two-way voice and data links to moving terminals. Here is how MSS works, its bands, and providers.
Comparisons Qianfan vs Starlink compares China's Spacesail broadband fleet to SpaceX's constellation across scale, speed, pricing, availability, and launch costs.
Comparisons Guowang vs Starlink compared on scale, orbit, launch economics, and mission. See how China's SatNet project differs from SpaceX's commercial network.
Constellations HughesNet provides geostationary satellite internet across the Americas. Learn how JUPITER 3, latency, data plans, Wi-Fi 6, and contracts work.
Satellites Launching a satellite starts at $350,000 on a SpaceX rideshare or $74 million for a dedicated Falcon 9. Most other rocket prices remain unpublished.
Constellations HughesNet, Viasat, Amazon Leo, and ground connections compared for households looking beyond Starlink.
Constellations WISeSat and FOSSA Systems confirmed an October 2026 launch for the QSOC constellation roadmap. What is confirmed and what remains unpublished.
Small Satellites What is a CubeSat? A small satellite built from standard 10 cm units, stacked into 1U to 12U sizes, so builders can reuse parts and share rides to orbit.
Orbits A geostationary orbit sits 35,786 km above the equator and matches Earth's rotation, so a satellite holds one spot. Geosynchronous is the broader family.
Constellations Airbus delivered 32 next-generation OneWeb satellites to Eutelsat in October 2026. Fleet renewal numbers, manufacturing in Toulouse, and launch details.
Earth Observation ICEYE operates what it terms the largest SAR constellation. Public facts on its Series F funding, Nokia communications alliance, and Arianespace MOU.
Earth Observation Synspective develops StriX SAR satellites, holds a 105.6 billion yen Japan MoD contract share, and signed 20 Electron launches with Rocket Lab.
Constellations Rassvet is the low Earth orbit broadband constellation by Bureau 1440. Review published orbit heights, laser links, 5G NTN tech, and launch milestones.
Earth Observation SkyFi sells archive satellite images from $15 and tasked captures from $200 per 25 sq km, no subscription. How it compares to UP42, EOS, and Planet.
Satellite Basics Fixed satellite services connect earth stations at specified locations using satellites. How FSS works, frequency bands, regulations, and uses.
Constellations Iridium vs Starlink compares global narrowband voice and tracking to high-speed broadband on orbit design, terminal power, coverage, and costs.
Ground Segment Satellite ground stations link spacecraft to Earth networks. Learn how operators rent antenna time per minute, handle licensing, and schedule contacts.
Satellite Comms Starlink Mobile, formerly Direct to Cell, works today only through carriers such as T-Mobile. SpaceX's own carrier has no price or launch date yet.
Satellite Comms There is no Starlink phone. Starlink Mobile reaches ordinary LTE phones through carriers such as T-Mobile; most U.S. phones from the last four years work.
Satellite Comms What T-Satellite costs on each T-Mobile plan and for AT&T and Verizon customers as of October 2026, based on T-Mobile's own satellite and support pages.
Satellite Comms SpaceX agreed to buy EchoStar's mid-band licenses for $19.6 billion and Grain's 800 MHz licenses for an undisclosed price. Both deals have yet to close.
Satellite Comms Not yet: Starlink Mobile has spectrum deals and FCC approval but no plan, price or phone list. How it compares with Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.
Satellite Comms Compare Starlink cell phone plans across carriers: monthly costs, free plan inclusions, availability, and feature limits as of October 2026.
Satellite Comms Rogers Satellite runs on SpaceX's Starlink satellites and costs CAD $10 to $15 a month unless your plan includes it. Prices, apps and who can sign up.
Satellites went from scarce to everywhere
A generation ago, satellites were rare, expensive, and mostly parked in high geostationary orbit. Today thousands of spacecraft fill low Earth orbit, launched by the truckload and replaced on a few-year cycle. That shift, from a handful of exquisite satellites to vast constellations of cheaper ones, is the single biggest change in the space industry, and it is why satellite broadband, real-time Earth imaging, and phone-to-satellite messaging suddenly work.
This section explains the machinery behind that shift without assuming an engineering background. We start with the fundamentals of how a satellite actually works, from its bus and payload to power and station-keeping, then build up to the systems reshaping connectivity.
Commercial satellite imagery has become something a small team can order online. Our SkyFi deep dive shows what a self-service imagery marketplace charges for an archive image or a new satellite capture, and how it compares with UP42, EOS Data Analytics, and Planet.
Orbits and communications
Where a satellite sits determines what it is good for. Satellite communications, or satcom, has traditionally run through geostationary satellites that appear fixed in the sky, using frequency bands from L through Ka. The tradeoff is distance: a signal to geostationary orbit and back travels roughly 72,000 kilometers, adding noticeable delay. Low Earth orbit satellites sit far closer, cutting that delay dramatically, which is why the new broadband constellations live there, at the cost of needing thousands of satellites and constant handoffs as they race across the sky.
The constellations changing connectivity
The best-known LEO constellation is Starlink, SpaceX's broadband network, now joined by competitors like OneWeb and Amazon's Project Kuiper, plus government-anchored programs like the European Union's IRIS2. The next frontier is skipping the dish entirely: direct-to-cell services aim to connect an ordinary, unmodified smartphone to a satellite for texting and, eventually, data, filling the coverage gaps that terrestrial towers never will.
Because Starlink is a division of SpaceX, readers often ask how to invest in it, which we cover in is Starlink publicly traded. And if you just want to see orbital motion for yourself, our live satellite tracker shows where the International Space Station is right now.
How to use this section
Each page is a durable explainer, written to stay accurate as constellations grow. We describe capabilities in ranges rather than exact figures that change weekly, and we hedge anything volatile. Start with satcom or how satellites work if you want the fundamentals, or jump straight to LEO, Starlink, or direct-to-cell.