astronomy

Spaceway-3

Spaceway-3 is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Spaceway-3 rather than just read about it. In short: Spaceway-3 is a communications satellite which was launched on August 14, 2007, at 23:44:00 UTC. The third satellite in the Spaceway series, it includes a Ka-band communications payload.

Key takeaways

Spaceway-3 belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Spaceway-3 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Spaceway-3 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Spaceway-3 is a communications satellite which was launched on August 14, 2007, at 23:44:00 UTC. The third satellite in the Spaceway series, it includes a Ka-band communications payload. It is used by Hughes Network Systems to provide broadband Internet Protocol network service.

History In March 2007, shortly after the failure of a Sea Launch rocket launch in January 2007, Hughes Network Systems switched launch of Spaceway-3 from a Zenit-3SL rocket to an Ariane 5 launch vehicle.

Launch Spaceway-3 was launched 14 August 2007 on an Ariane 5 launch vehicle with BSAT-3a. It lifted off at 23:44 UTC from ELA-3 of the Centre Spatial Guyanais. Five hours and 46 minutes later, signals from the spacecraft were successfully received at a ground station in Hartebeesthoek, South Africa.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Spaceway-3

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Spaceway-3 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Spaceway-3 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Spaceway-3 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Spaceway-3

In research: Spaceway-3 appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Spaceway-3 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Spaceway-3 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics American spacecraft stubs, Communications satellite stubs, Communications satellites in geostationary orbit, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Spaceway-3 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Spaceway-3 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Spaceway-3 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Spaceway-3 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Spaceway-3 in simple terms?

Spaceway-3 is a communications satellite which was launched on August 14, 2007, at 23:44:00 UTC. The third satellite in the Spaceway series, it includes a Ka-band communications payload.

Why does Spaceway-3 matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Spaceway-3?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Spaceway-3.