How do SATELLITES talk to Earth?

Gazing up at the sky past the clouds, it’s hard to imagine an entire civilisation of satellites all chatting with one another right above our heads. Populated in their thousands, satellites are the orbiting neighbours we need to stay connected down on Earth. Although varying in their occupation, satellites are typically either used for communication, imaging or navigation.

To keep us all connected, communications satellites work as ‘space mirrors’, bouncing signals off one another before delivering the message back to Earth. These messages take the form of radio waves, which are received, amplified and sent on their way by transponders on the satellite. For example, when watching