![]() NOAA-18 - Launch May 20th 2005, (Designated NOAA-N).NOAA-15 - Launch May 13th 1998, (Designated NOAA-K).Currently, there are only 3 active satellites broadcasting APT signals, each satellite designed to last at least 2 years: ![]() On the 6th February 2009 NOAA-19 was launched and is the last satellite to use the APT system. ![]() Unfortunately as this very old tech (over half a century), this system is now being phased out and giving way to a more sophisticated and advanced digital transmission system. The first satellite to have this system put on board was TIROS-8 which was launched at the 21st of December 1963 and lasted 3 1/2 years in operation until July 1st 1967. So what is APT? Short for Automatic Picture Transmission it’s a protocol that was designed in the early 1960s to (you guessed it…) transmit real time images to earth from space. For a few years now, I have been aware of meteorological satellites using the APT system (mostly US NOAA satellites) that transmit many types of information. Unfortunate as much as GPS is an intriguing and marvelous system it’s a very simple signal that does not very interesting data. Now, I know that my phone can pickup signals from space, and I use it every day… it’s called GPS. In the past few years I have wanted to explore the world of different signals from space.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |