24 hours without satellites - Illustration

2020-10-01 - When Anik F2 went out of service on October 2, 2016, thousands of northern Canadians were left without banking, phone or Internet services. Thankfully the glitch was promptly fixed and life went back to normal in less than 24 hours. If satellites stopped working for 24 hours, there would be many consequences, as the infographic shows. (Credit: Canadian Space Agency)

Even though we may not be aware of everything satellites do, they play an important role in our daily lives. Every single day, they are meeting our needs in many different ways.

Here are just a few examples of what would happen if satellites stopped working for 24 hours.

• Precision farming not possible
• Limited weather forecasting
• Slower disaster response
• No GPS
• Reduced maritime surveillance
• No satellite TV shows
• Problems locating 911 calls
• ATMs not working no payments by card
• Delayed delivery of groceries
• Traffic congestion
• No telemedicine for remote locations
• No Internet & cellphone service in the north
• Delayed and grounded flights
• Difficulty with search and rescue
• Blind navigation through sea ice