what is the role a satellite in K.S.P ??

[RAIDraptor]

hi guys , i would like to know what satellites are used for in K.S.P

in the future is there any chance to encounter any new life form on other planets ???

[Vanamonde]

Right now satellites only have a few uses in the stock game, such as carrying the 4 scientific instruments. Some mods give them other abilities, such as mapping and communications. The guys at Squad don't like the idea of adding aliens, but I don't know if they've ever said whether plants and animals might be found on other worlds.

[towermaster2]

Right now satellites only have a few uses in the stock game, such as carrying the 4 scientific instruments. Some mods give them other abilities, such as mapping and communications. The guys at Squad don't like the idea of adding aliens, but I don't know if they've ever said whether plants and animals might be found on other worlds.

That is, of course, If what they mean by 'Aliens' as Sentient Extraterrestrial life

[Tw1]

I like to imagine my satellite networks carry my crew's signal from wherever they are back to KSC.

And probes make good scouting missions/practice runs.

[Holo]

Laythe probably has a couple of microbes, but other than that, no life.

[SciMan]

I usually start my save games by putting a medium-large sized communications satellite in a high polar orbit around Kerbin, followed by placing one around whatever other planets and/or moons I want to eventually explore. It just seems like the logical thing to do, especially since NASA is doing a similar thing with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which is currently being used to relay the signals sent from many of the Mars exploration probes, including Mars Science Lab Curiosity, back to Earth.

Also, most of my interplanetary lander missions end up leaving the transfer stage in orbit around the target, so I have a habit of putting a probe core, power supply, and some antennas on it to create a communications satellite, or at the very least allow me to de-orbit it later.

[SalmonellaDingDong]

A lot of people install RemoteTech so that building satellite networks has an actual purpose. Otherwise it's up to you to make one up, or use mapsat or kethane scanners on your satellites. That's the only other purpose I can think of.

[chainedlupine]

I'm in the same boat as Tw1. I have a satellite orbiting most planets and moons, and my pretend justification for sending it (aside from just getting something there in the first place) was to expand my deep space communications network.

Though in reality, we can do that fairly well from Earth alone without the need for relays. Early probes were planned around planet/moon radio-shadows. They were able to do their jobs, usually by executing via simple pre-programmed steps (in the era before computers!) and by storing all telemetry data for later play back when the satellite/probe was within LoS of Earth again.

However, in a modern space age, I would expect at least a few relay satellites just for safety sake and allowing the crew to keep in touch with their comrades. For modern semi-autonomous systems, a relay is required.

[simonh]

Bear in mind that when resources get added to the stock game, we will need a way to find them. At that point I expect probes and satellites will become a whole lot more useful, as per the ISA Mapsat and Kethan mods already mentioned.

[magnemoe]

Right now satellites only have a few uses in the stock game, such as carrying the 4 scientific instruments. Some mods give them other abilities, such as mapping and communications. The guys at Squad don't like the idea of adding aliens, but I don't know if they've ever said whether plants and animals might be found on other worlds.

Satellites has the same use as manned crafts except that you can not do eva. Far ligher than manned pods, lightest manned is 1.1 ton, lightest probe is 40kg.

Downside is that they use some electricity.

So you can put up satellites just to get an view, putting something in 10 km Mun orbit is pretty fun. And as they are unmanned its no reason to bring them back.

And as other say some mods add functionality.