Telemetry in the context of Single channel per carrier

The refresh rate, also known as vertical refresh rate, vertical scan rate or vertical frequency in reference to terminology originating with cathode-ray tubes (CRTs), is the number of times per second that a raster-based display device displays a new image. This is independent from frame rate, which describes how many images are stored or generated every second by the device driving the display. On CRT displays, higher refresh rates produce less flickering, thereby reducing eye strain. In other technologies such as liquid-crystal displays, the refresh rate affects only how often the image can potentially be updated.

Non-raster displays may not have a characteristic refresh rate. Vector displays, for instance, do not trace the entire screen, only the actual lines comprising the displayed image, so refresh speed may differ by the size and complexity of the image data. For computer programs or telemetry, the term is sometimes applied to how frequently a datum is updated with a new external value from another source (for example; a shared public spreadsheet or hardware feed).

A ground segment consists of all the ground-based elements of a space system used by operators and support personnel, as opposed to the space segment and user segment. The ground segment enables management of a spacecraft, and distribution of payload data and telemetry among interested parties on the ground. The primary elements of a ground segment are:

• Ground (or Earth) stations, which provide radio interfaces with spacecraft
• Mission control (or operations) centers, from which spacecraft are managed
• Remote terminals, used by support personnel
• Spacecraft integration and test facilities
• Launch facilities
• Ground networks, which allow for communication between the other ground elements

These elements are present in nearly all space missions, whether commercial, military, or scientific. They may be located together or separated geographically, and they may be operated by different parties. Some elements may support multiple spacecraft simultaneously.

A stream gauge, streamgage or stream gauging station is a location used by hydrologists or environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water. Hydrometric measurements of water level surface elevation ("stage") and/or volumetric discharge (flow) are generally taken and observations of biota and water quality may also be made. The locations of gauging stations are often found on topographical maps. Some gauging stations are highly automated and may include telemetry capability transmitted to a central data logging facility.

A GPS tracking unit, commonly referred to as a GPS tracker or simply tracker, is a device used as part of a tracking system to track the location of the asset it is connected to. It uses a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to determine its geographic position. This location data, along with other vehicle or asset telemetry, is transmitted to an Internet-connected device or a central server using an embedded cellular, radio, or satellite modem. This enables the real-time monitoring and management of vehicles, assets, personnel, and animals from a remote location, and is used in intelligent transportation systems. The global market was valued at over $2.5 billion in 2022 and projected to grow at a CAGR of over 13% to reach $4.76 billion by 2027.

GPS tracking units are used by consumers and are a component of fleet telematics systems and fleet digitalization. Data collected by these devices is typically sent to specialized fleet management software platforms. While many modern vehicles are equipped with a factory-installed telematic control unit (TCU) from the manufacturer, aftermarket GPS tracking units are used to manage mixed fleets (with vehicles from different brands) and to equip vehicles that lack native telematics systems. Specialized hardware manufacturers produce these devices.

In navigation, a radio beacon or radiobeacon is a kind of beacon, a device that marks a fixed location and allows direction-finding equipment to find relative bearing. It is a fixed-position radio transmitter which radiates radio waves which are received by navigation instruments on ships, aircraft or vehicles.

The beacon transmits a continuous or periodic radio signal on a specified radio frequency containing limited information (for example, its identification or location). Occasionally, the beacon's transmission includes other information, such as telemetric or meteorological data.

A primary (or portable or personal) life support system (or subsystem) (PLSS), is a device connected to an astronaut or cosmonaut's spacesuit, which allows extra-vehicular activity (EVA) with maximum freedom, independent of a spacecraft's life support system. A PLSS is generally worn like a backpack. The functions performed by the PLSS include:

• Regulating suit pressure
• Providing breathable oxygen
• Removing carbon dioxide, humidity, odors, and contaminants from breathing oxygen
• Cooling and recirculating oxygen through the pressure garment, and water through a Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment or Liquid Cooling Garment.
• Two-way voice communication
• Display or telemetry of suit health parameters
• Telemetry of an indicator of the wearer's immediate health (e.g. heart rate)

The air handling function of a PLSS is similar to that of a diving rebreather, in that exhaled gases are recycled into the breathing gas in a closed loop.

Sputnik 2 (Russian pronunciation: [ˈsputʲnʲɪk], Russian: Спутник-2, Satellite 2), or Prosteyshiy Sputnik 2 (PS-2, Russian: Простейший Спутник 2, Simplest Satellite 2), launched on 3 November 1957, was the second spacecraft launched into Earth orbit, and the first to carry an animal into orbit, a Soviet space dog named Laika.

Launched by the Soviet Union via a modified R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile, Sputnik 2 was a 4-metre-high (13 ft) cone-shaped capsule with a base diameter of 2 metres (6.6 ft) that weighed around 500 kilograms (1,100 lb), though it was not designed to separate from the rocket core that brought it to orbit, bringing the total mass in orbit to 7.79 tonnes (17,200 lb). It contained several compartments for radio transmitters, a telemetry system, a programming unit, a regeneration and temperature-control system for the cabin, and scientific instruments. A separate sealed cabin contained the dog Laika.

A launch pad is an above-ground facility from which a rocket-powered missile or space vehicle is vertically launched. The term launch pad can be used to describe just the central launch platform (mobile launcher platform), or the entire complex (launch complex). The entire complex will include a launch mount or launch platform to physically support the vehicle, a service structure with umbilicals, and the infrastructure required to provide propellants, cryogenic fluids, electrical power, communications, telemetry, rocket assembly, payload processing, storage facilities for propellants and gases, equipment, access roads, and drainage.

Most launch pads include fixed service structures to provide one or more access platforms to assemble, inspect, and maintain the vehicle and to allow access to the spacecraft, including the loading of crew. The pad may contain a flame deflection structure to prevent the intense heat of the rocket exhaust from damaging the vehicle or pad structures, and a sound suppression system spraying large quantities of water may be employed. The pad may also be protected by lightning arresters. A spaceport typically includes multiple launch complexes and other supporting infrastructure.

KickSat was a satellite dispenser for small-satellite (femtosatellite) project inaugurated in early October 2011, to launch many very small satellites from a 3U CubeSat. The satellites have been characterized as being the size of a large postage stamp.and also as "cracker size".The mission launch was originally scheduled for late 2013 and was launched April 18, 2014.

Kicksat reached its orbit and transmitted beacon signals that were received by radio amateurs. Telemetry data allowed the prediction of the orbit and the reentry on May 15, 2014, at about 01:30 UTC. Due to a non-redundant design, a timer reset while on-orbit and the femtosatellites were not deployed in time, and burned up inside the KickSat mothership when the undeployed satellite-deployment mechanism reentered Earth's atmosphere. It is one of several crowdfunded satellites launched during the 2010s.

A radiosonde is a battery-powered telemetry instrument carried into the atmosphere usually by a weather balloon that measures various atmospheric parameters and transmits them by radio to a ground receiver. Modern radiosondes measure or calculate the following variables: altitude, pressure, temperature, relative humidity, wind (both wind speed and wind direction), cosmic ray readings at high altitude and geographical position (latitude/longitude). Radiosondes measuring ozone concentration are known as ozonesondes.

Radiosondes may operate at a radio frequency of 403 MHz or 1680 MHz. A radiosonde whose position is tracked as it ascends to give wind speed and direction information is called a rawinsonde ("radar wind -sonde"). Most radiosondes have radar reflectors and are technically rawinsondes. A radiosonde that is dropped from an airplane and falls, rather than being carried by a balloon is called a dropsonde. Radiosondes are an essential source of meteorological data, and hundreds are launched all over the world daily.

A mission control center (MCC, sometimes called a flight control center or operations center) is a facility that manages space flights, usually from the point of launch until landing or the end of the mission. It is part of the ground segment of spacecraft operations. A staff of flight controllers and other support personnel monitor all aspects of the mission using telemetry, and send commands to the vehicle using ground stations. Personnel supporting the mission from an MCC can include representatives of the attitude control system, power, propulsion, thermal, attitude dynamics, orbital operations and other subsystem disciplines. The training for these missions usually falls under the responsibility of the flight controllers, typically including extensive rehearsals in the MCC.

Luna 2 (Russian: Луна 2), originally named the Second Soviet Cosmic Rocket and nicknamed Lunik 2 in contemporaneous media, was the sixth of the Soviet Union's Luna programme spacecraft launched to the Moon, E-1 No.7. It was the first spacecraft to touch the surface of the Moon, and the first human-made object to make contact with another celestial body.

The spacecraft was launched on 12 September 1959 by the Luna 8K72 s/n I1-7B rocket. It followed a direct path to the Moon. In addition to the radio transmitters sending telemetry information back to Earth, the spacecraft released a sodium vapour cloud so the spacecraft's movement could be visually observed. On 13 September 1959, it impacted the Moon's surface east of Mare Imbrium near the craters Aristides, Archimedes, and Autolycus.

Flight controllers are personnel who aid space flight by working in mission control centers such as NASA's Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center or ESA's European Space Operations Centre. Flight controllers work at computer consoles and use telemetry to monitor various technical aspects of a space mission in real-time. Each controller is an expert in a specific area and constantly communicates with additional experts in the "back room". The flight director, who leads the flight controllers, monitors the activities of a team of flight controllers, and has overall responsibility for success and safety.

An automatic weather station (AWS) is an automated version of the traditional weather station, either to save human labor or to enable measurements from remote areas. An AWS will typically consist of a weather-proof enclosure containing the data logger, rechargeable battery, telemetry (optional) and the meteorological sensors with an attached solar panel or wind turbine and mounted upon a mast. The specific configuration may vary due to the purpose of the system. The system may report in near real time via the Argos System, LoRa and the Global Telecommunications System, or save the data for later recovery.

In the past, automatic weather stations were often placed where electricity and communication lines were available. Nowadays, the solar panel, wind turbine and mobile phone technology have made it possible to have wireless stations that are not connected to the electrical grid or hardline telecommunications network.

Vehicle location data is the big data collection of vehicle locations, including automatic vehicle location data, a core feature of any vehicle tracking system. This usually includes times and often photographs as well, a practice known as video telematics. The process of collecting this data from remote assets via telemetry is a core component of telematics, often managed by a telematic control unit. Its application in the commercial sector forms the basis of fleet digitalization and is central to any fleet telematics system.

Common methods of data collection include automatic number plate recognition from cameras, such as a Dashcam, and radio-frequency identification (RFID) from transponders. In commercial contexts, a dedicated GPS tracking unit is often used for this purpose, forming part of a wider tracking system. Databases of this information are maintained by both government and private entities. For businesses, this data is essential for fleet management tasks like Track and trace, enabling vehicle repossession, and consumer profiling through methods like Driver scoring. Government databases have been subjected to legal orders for location data, and access may be granted in both criminal and civil cases.

In the automotive industry, a telematic control unit (TCU) is an embedded system that connects a vehicle to the internet and serves as a hub for external wireless communications. It enables modern connected vehicle services, including telematics, fleet management, and V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communication. The TCU's primary functions are to collect data from the vehicle's internal systems, a process known as telemetry, and to facilitate two-way communication with cloud-based services. While the term typically refers to a factory-installed (OEM) unit, its functionality is also available through third-party aftermarket telematic devices that can be installed in vehicles not originally equipped with an OEM system.