Satellite communication is a major spin off from the space programs whose objective is to establish a reliable and global communication. The communication satellites are a crucial factor throughout telecommunications infrastructure and have made contribution to the pattern of international communications. As an artificial body which is moving around a celestial body such as planet Earth, satellites are put into desired orbits and have payload depending on the intended application. During revolving of satellites around the Earth, their performance is affected significantly by Doppler shift. This phenomenon represents receiving higher or lower frequencies with respect to original transmitted frequency which is caused by relative speed disparity between transmitter and receiver. The purpose of this study is to survey in a precise manner the outcome of Doppler shift in satellite communication. Further with a combination of satellite communication fundamental and mathematical methods, the effect of Doppler shift in highly elliptical orbits are investigated.