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Nowadays, satellites are used for a variety of purposes, including sensors and data collection, weather, maritime navigation and timing, Earth observation, and communications. In particular, satellite transmissions have an important role in telephone communications, television broadcasting, computer communications as well as navigation.

The use of satellites for communications was a brilliant idea of Arthur C. Clarke who wrote a famous article in October 1945 in the Wireless World journal, entitled “Extra Terrestrial Relays-Can Rocket Stations Give Worldwide Coverage?” that described the use of manned satellites in orbits at 35,800 km altitude, thus having synchronous motion with respect to a point on the Earth. This article was the basis for the use of GEOstationary (GEO) satellites for telecommunications. Subsequently, he also proved the usefulness of satellites as compared to transatlantic telephone cables …