Difference between revisions of "Relay Satellite"

Latest revision as of 21:02, 5 May 2023

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A Relay Satellite is a Probe orbiting a Celestial body that serves the function of creating a Relay Network.

Uses

Relay Satellites are used to communicate with the Kerbal Space Center without the need for a direct connection to it. Without a connection to the Kerbal Space Center, an unmanned probe will either not be able to function, or will be in limited probe control, depending on your settings for the game. (A spacecraft consisting of a pilot would not be affected.) With the fact that each antenna has a limited range, this makes relay satellites a necessity for almost every interplanetary mission^{[citation needed]}. Relay Satellites give the function for other Probes to stay connected to the Kerbal Space Center without having the requirement to be in the line of Kerbin, or the range.

Design

A relay satellite must have at least one relay-capable antenna and a probe core. Since electricity isn't consumed when a vehicle isn't controlled by the player, electric charge storage and generation isn't required.

It must be placed where it has a connection to the rest of the CommNet network, either it being a ground station on Kerbin or another Relay satellite. However, no matter how much the distance between the satellites, the transmission will ultimately end up at Kerbin, or else the transmission will not be established at all.

Although multiple relay antennae can be combined to increase the range of a relay satellite, non-relay antennae on the satellite do not affect the range of relayed signals at all, not even for the second hop.

Recommendations

Relay satellites are exceptionally useful if put into a suitable type of Orbit according to the circumstance.

- In early career saves, there may be a certain area where you cannot get any signal because of the lack of ground stations. This does not happen all the time, but when it does, you can put a simple relay satellite right above it with a semi-major axis of the thereabouts of 2868.3 to 2868.8, with the Orbital Period[citation needed] of exactly 6 hours.
- In later career saves where Mun and Minmus are being extensively visited, a decent Relay Network with medium-high Polar Orbits around Kerbin may be most useful.
- Since the Mun is tidally locked to Kerbin, relays in high orbit around the Mun are required to explore the far side with unpiloted vehicles or to transmit science.
- In extremely progressed saves, or perhaps, sandbox mode saves, a powerful relay network in high orbit of Dres and Kerbol orbit at the same orbit of Dres but different locations may potentially be useful for Jool expeditions.

Gallery

A massive relay network covering Kerbin, all working together.