Satellite communications systems have been undergoing radical change in recent years, making a transition from a technology dominated by Governments and geostationary satellites to one that includes low-Earth orbit (LEO) and Medium- Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite systems operated by publicly held corporations.

The new systems utilize multiple antenna beams forming cells on the Earth’s surface similar to those used by terrestrial cellular telephony systems and are capable of carrying various types of traffic ranging from voice to Internet traffic
The present chapter contains the deliberations of the working group on satellite communications that was established during the United Nations Expert Meeting on the Regional Centres for Space Science and Technology Education: Status and Future Development.

The working group reviewed the curriculum of courses that had been held at the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific (annex I) and developed a broad outline of topics that should be part of the satellite communications curriculum.

The Curriculum for the Satellite Communication Course Module can be downloaded <here>

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) include constellations of Earth-orbiting satellites that broadcast their locations in space and time, of networks of ground control stations, and of receivers that calculate ground positions by trilateration. GNSS are used in all forms of transportation: space stations, aviation, maritime, rail, road and mass transit. Positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) play a critical role in telecommunications, land surveying, law enforcement, emergency response, precision agriculture, mining, finance, scientific research and so on. They are used to control computer networks, air traffic, power grids and more.

The Curriculum for the
Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) Course Module can be downloaded <<here>>

Human beings have no doubt always had a fascination with and a practical interest in the weather. Meteorological phenomena were a major subject of speculation in the philosophical works of classical antiquity, but scientific study of the weather is generally dated from the invention of the thermometer and barometer in the seventeenth century.

There were sporadic attempts to plot weather maps from surface observations in the eighteenth century. The invention of the telegraph in the nineteenth century opened the prospect of producing and disseminating real-time forecasts using data gathered over a large geographical area. Government-sponsored observing networks were begun in several countries in the mid- and late nineteenth century.

The nineteenth century also saw important developments in basic fluid dynamics and thermodynamics, which put the study of the atmosphere on a firm basis as a problem in applied physics. In recent decades, spectacular advances have been made in both observational and theoretical studies of the atmosphere. Such progress has been greatly facilitated by the availability of satellite platforms for atmospheric observing systems and the development of digital computers for the non-linear governing equations.

A meteorological satellite application course is a specific component of space science and technology education. It is important because, while meteorological satellites have operated in space for over three decades, the majority of the world’s scientific, professional and educational communities are unaware that observations from those satellites are freely accessible and that they can be applied directly or combined with other information to benefit large segments of a country’s population or to help resolve specific problems affecting those populations, especially where the saving of lives, the protection of property or the responsible management of natural resources may be involved.

The Curriculum can be downloaded here.

Basic Space and Atmospheric Science missions and research are now generating news on a daily basis worldwide. They are responsible for programmes relating to astronomy, the solar system and the Sun and its interaction with Earth. Space and atmospheric science covers everything from the middle levels of Earth’s atmosphere (about 60 kilometres up) to the edge of the universe billions of light years away. It may help to understand space and atmospheric science 
The working group on space and atmospheric science, which was established during the United Nations Expert Meeting on the Regional Centres for Space Science and Technology Education: Status and Future Development reviewed and revised the curriculum for the third course (annex I).

The Curriculum can be downloaded <<here>>.

Space law can be described as the body of law governing space-related activities. Space law, much like general international law, comprises a variety of international agreements, treaties, conventions, and United Nations General Assembly resolutions as well as rules and regulations of international organizations.

The term “space law” is most often associated with the rules, principles and standards of international law appearing in the five international treaties and five sets of principles governing outer space which have been developed under the auspices of the United Nations. In addition to these international instruments, many states have national legislation governing space-related activities.

The Curriculum can be downloaded <<here>>