What are satellites made of?
Satellites take 8 things directly, among them aluminum, carbon fiber, printed circuit board, microchip, camera sensor and copper wire. Trace them back and you pass 64 made things on the way to 29 raw materials.
How satellites are made See it on the map
What goes straight in
- Aluminumat Form the structure
- Carbon fiberat Form the structure
- Printed circuit boardat Build the subassemblies
- Microchipat Build the subassemblies
- Camera sensorat Outfit the payload
- Copper wireat Join with cable and waveguide
- Solar panelat Fit power and heat control
- Lithium-ion cellat Fit power and heat control
From the ground: 29 raw materials
- Crude oil through aluminum
- Coal through aluminum
- Air through carbon fiber
- Bauxite through aluminum, alumina
- Water through aluminum, alumina
- Natural gas through carbon fiber, ammonia
- Copper ore through lithium-ion cell, copper
- Silica sand through printed circuit board, fiberglass
- Limestone through printed circuit board, fiberglass
- Quartz through camera sensor, silicon wafer
- Tin ore through microchip, tin
- Gold ore through microchip, gold
- Lithium brine through lithium-ion cell, lithium carbonate
- Spodumene through lithium-ion cell, lithium carbonate
- Cobalt ore through lithium-ion cell, cobalt
- Nickel ore through lithium-ion cell, nickel
- Manganese ore through lithium-ion cell, manganese
- Iron ore through lithium-ion cell, manganese
- Rock salt through printed circuit board, fiberglass, soda ash
- Sulfur through lithium-ion cell, copper, sulfuric acid
- Trona through printed circuit board, fiberglass, soda ash
- Lead ore through solar panel, solder, silver
- Silver ore through solar panel, solder, silver
- Zinc ore through solar panel, solder, silver
- Timber through solar panel, silicone, metallurgical silicon
- Dolomite through lithium-ion cell, steel, magnesium
- Corn through printed circuit board, fiberglass, soda ash, carbon dioxide
- Sugarcane through printed circuit board, fiberglass, soda ash, carbon dioxide, baker's yeast, molasses
- Sugar beet through printed circuit board, fiberglass, soda ash, carbon dioxide, baker's yeast, molasses
Made along the way: 56 things
Metals 16
Chemicals and fuels 24
Petroleum cokePropyleneAmmoniaOxygen gasSynthetic graphiteCaustic sodaQuicklimeNaphthaSulfuric acidSoda ashPhenolAcetoneChlorineArgonEthyleneMethanolHydrochloric acidHydrogenCarbon dioxideBenzeneFormaldehydeCharcoalPropaneToluene