artificial satellites

Artificial satellites are human-made objects launched into orbit around Earth, distinct from the Moon, Earth's only natural satellite.

• Most orbit around 800 km above Earth's surface and complete one full orbit in roughly 100 minutes — appearing from the ground as a small, steadily moving point of light, easiest to spot just before sunrise or after sunset.
• They serve enormously practical purposes: communication, navigation, weather monitoring, disaster management, and scientific research all depend on satellites launched by agencies like India's ISRO.
• Missions like Cartosat map Earth's terrain and support disaster response, AstroSat observes stars and celestial objects, and Chandrayaan, Aditya L1, and Mangalyaan have carried Indian science to the Moon, the Sun, and Mars respectively.
• Retired satellites and rocket parts don't just vanish — they become space debris that can threaten working satellites, which is why countries are increasingly working together on ways to track and remove it.