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Satellite
also called Artificial satellite, Orbital satellite, Space satellite
About
An artificial satellite is an orbital spacecraft roughly the size and weight of a compact passenger car.
Satellites vary dramatically in scale based on their purpose. They range from miniature CubeSats that measure just 4 inches (10 centimeters) across to massive commercial platforms weighing over 13,000 pounds (6,000 kilograms). Although the main body must stay compact enough to fit inside a rocket fairing, deployed solar arrays and antennas can stretch out to dozens of feet once in orbit.
From Wikipedia
A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation (GPS), broadcasting, scientific research, and Earth observation.
Read more on Wikipedia →Text from Wikipedia’s “Satellite” article, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Every comparison with a satellite
1 on the site
Questions people ask
- How big is a satellite?
- A typical satellite body is about 8.2 feet (2.5 meters) long, 6.6 feet (2 meters) tall, and weighs roughly 3,300 pounds (1,500 kilograms). This makes its central bus roughly the size and mass of a small vehicle.
- How much space does a satellite take up?
- About 7.85 yd³ (6 m³), the volume of its body.
Weight
1.65 US tons (1.5 tonnes)
- Space it takes up
- 7.85 yd³ (6 m³)
- Length
- 8.2 ft (2.5 m)
- Height
- 6.56 ft (2 m)
Quick answer
A typical satellite body is about 8.2 feet (2.5 meters) long, 6.6 feet (2 meters) tall, and weighs roughly 3,300 pounds (1,500 kilograms). This makes its central bus roughly the size and mass of a small vehicle.
Typical figures, the same ones every comparison on the site uses; real ones vary.
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