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 little as 90 minutes.
Low Earth Orbit satellite systems require several dozen satellites to provide coverage of the entire planet.
Low Earth Orbit satellites typically operate in polar orbits.
Low Earth Orbit satellites are used for applications where a short Round Trip Time (RTT) is very important, such as Mobile Satellite Services (MSS).
Low Earth Orbit satellites have a typical service life expectancy of five to seven years.
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- 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 [...]...
- 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 [...]...
- 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 [...]...
- Satellite Phone
A satellite phone is a mobile telephone which communicates using satellites instead of using cell towers. Three major satellite phone networks are currently in operation: Iridium Globalstar Thuraya Iridium The Iridium network uses 66 low earth orbit satellites in polar orbits 485 miles above sea level. The use of low earth orbit satellites helps minimize [...]...
- 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 [...]...