Inclination
Inclination is the angle between a satellite orbit and the equator.
Inclination is measured as the angle at which the satellite crosses the equator while passing from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere.
A satellite travelling in a geostationary obit will have an inclination of zero.
Inclination is between 0 and 90 degrees for satellites in non-retrograde orbits, and between 90 and 180 degrees for satellites in retrograde orbits.
A satellite in a polar orbit will have an inclination of exactly 90 degree.
A satellite with an inclination of 180 degrees would travel in exactly the opposite direction of the Earths rotation.
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- Retrograde Orbit
A retrograde orbit is an orbit where the satellite travels in an East to West direction instead of the common West to East orbit. The normal West to East orbits are known as prograde orbits. Retrograde orbits are uncommon due to the much higher velocities necessary for successful launch and the associated higher costs. During [...]...
- Low Earth Orbit
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) refers to a satellite which orbits the earth at altitudes between (very roughly) 200 miles and 930 miles. Low Earth Orbit satellites must travel very quickly to resist the pull of gravity — approximately 17,000 miles per hour. Because of this, Lowe Earth Orbit satellies can orbit the planet in as [...]...
- Polar Orbit
A polar orbit is an orbit of any object in space, natural or synthetic, that passes around the Earth in a North-to-South direction rather than a West to East direction, which is known as an “equatorial orbit”. Polar orbits are advantageous because they will eventually travel across every possible latitudinal and longitudinal position on the [...]...
- Medium Earth Orbit
Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) refers to a satellite which orbits the earth at an altitude below 22,300 miles (geostationary orbit) and above the altitude of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. Medium Earth Orbit represents a series of tradeoffs between geostationary orbit (GEO) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Medium Earth Orbit enables a satellite provider to [...]...
- Weather Satellite
A weather satellite is a satellite which is used by meteorologists to gather information about the weather. Weather satellites give meteorologists a view of weather patterns over a very large area. This enables meteorologists to track large weather patterns and make more accurate predictions of future weather behavior. In addition to visual monitoring, weather satellites [...]...