Geostationary Satellite Orbit Height

Popularly or loosely the term geosynchronous may be used to mean geostationary.

Geostationary satellite orbit height. About 35 786 kilometers above the earth s surface satellites are in geostationary orbit. A low earth orbit leo typically is a circular orbit about 160 to 2 000 kilometres 99 to 1 243 mi above the earth s surface and correspondingly a period time to revolve around the earth of about 90 minutes. Specifically geosynchronous earth orbit geo may be a synonym for geosynchronous equatorial orbit or geostationary earth orbit. Because of their low altitude these satellites are only visible from within a radius of roughly 1 000 kilometres 620 mi from the sub satellite point.

Because the satellite stays right over the same spot all the time this kind of orbit is called geostationary. The geostationary satellite is made to orbit earth along its equatorial plane at an altitude of about 36 000 kilometres. Image satellites in geostationary orbit by lookang many thanks to author of original simulation francisco esquembre author of easy java simulation francisco esquembre. That orbital speed and distance permit the satellite to make one revolution in 24 hours.

A geostationary orbit also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit geo is a circular geosynchronous orbit 35 786 kilometres 22 236 miles above earth s equator and following the direction of earth s rotation. A circular geosynchronous orbit has a constant altitude of 35 786 km 22 236 mi and all geosynchronous orbits share that semi major axis. At any inclination a geosynchronous orbit synchronizes with the rotation of the earth. The molniya orbit offers a useful alternative.

This distance puts it in the high earth orbit category. A geostationary orbit is valuable for the constant view it provides but satellites in a geostationary orbit are parked over the equator so they don t work well for far northern or southern locations which are always on the edge of view for a geostationary satellite. A satellite in a geostationary orbit remains in the same position in. A special case of geosynchronous orbit is the geostationary orbit which is a circular geosynchronous orbit in earth s equatorial plane.

Since earth also rotates once in 24 hours a satellite at 22 223 miles altitude stays in a fixed position relative to a point on earth s surface. We can calculate the height h above the earth s surface by subtracting the radius of the earth from the radius of the orbit. At that height the eastward motion of the satellite coincides exactly with earth s rotation so that the satellite remains in one position above the equator. An object in such an orbit has an orbital period equal to the earth s rotational period one sidereal day and so to ground observers it appears motionless in a fixed.

H 4 22 10 7 6 37 10 6 3 583 10 7 m.