downlink

Signal from orbit

Downlink refers to the transmission of data from a satellite, spacecraft, or aircraft to a ground station or receiver on Earth.

The term contrasts with uplink, which sends data in the opposite direction.

As a verb, to downlink is to receive or transmit such data: We'll downlink the images once the probe reaches orbit.

The word appears in telecommunications, space exploration, and aviation contexts.

reception

antenna

Broadcast signal receiver

receiverOne who accepts transmission
decodeConvert from cipher
tuningAdjusting pitch accuracy

amplification · capture · monitoring · lock · acquisition · dish · filter · sensitivity · tracking · pointing

signal

bandwidth

Data transmission capacity

frequencyRate of recurrence
modulationVarying signals to transmit
demodulationRecovering signal from carrier

spectrum · amplitude · waveform · noise · interference · attenuation · gain · SNR · carrier · phase

satellite

transponder

Signal-activated transmitter

orbitCurved celestial path
geostationaryFixed above one point
footprintMark from stepping

dish · feed · carrier · polarization · telemetry · beacon · tracking · command · spacecraft · payload

data

throughput

Processing rate over time

speedRate of motion
latencyDelay in system response
packetSmall sealed container

transfer · stream · payload · telemetry · bitstream · frame · buffer · rate · capacity · volume

Categories

connectionsconnect, connection, tie, ties, bond
internetinternet, websites, web, browsers, web browsers
communication methodsphone line, radio, telephone, television, text
broadcastingbroadcasting, TV, radio, television, news
spaceflightlaunch, astronaut, spacecraft, liftoff, orbit
telecommunicationscell phone, cellphone, signals, cellular network, telephone calls

Opposites

signal direction

downlinkuplink

Transmission to spacecraft

upload · transmit · send

Family

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Rated G