Gps Satellite Orbit Inclination

View pre launch news release 1.

Gps satellite orbit inclination. It is expressed as the angle between a reference plane and the orbital plane or axis of direction of the orbiting object. The path that a satellite has to travel to stay in a sun synchronous orbit is very narrow. The fourth gps iii satellite is scheduled to launch on friday october 2. The constellation requires a minimum of 24 operational satellites and the official target count is 33.

The gps space segment also consists of nominally 24 satellites which are however distributed over six orbital planes differing from plane to plane by 60 deg in longitude of the ascending node. If a satellite is at a height of 100 kilometers it must have an orbital inclination of 96 degrees to maintain a sun synchronous orbit. In addition the constellation has 3 backup satellites. The nominal gps satellite constellation consists of 24 space vehicles svs distributed in six orbital planes with an inclination of 55 degrees in relation to the equator.

Any deviation in height or inclination will take the satellite out of a sun synchronous orbit. The launch window opens at 9 43 p m. For a satellite orbiting the earth directly above the equator the plane of the satellite s orbit is the same as the earth s equatorial plane and the satellite s orbital inclination is 0. At any inclination a geosynchronous orbit synchronizes with the rotation of the earth.

View pre launch news release 2. Orbits of the gps satellites distances are to scale the satellites orbit the earth with a speed of 3 9 km per second and have a circulation time of 12 h sidereal time corresponding to 11 h 58 min earth time. View space force. As of august 2020 75 global positioning system navigation satellites have been launched 31 of which are operational 9 in reserve 3 being tested 30 have been retired and 2 were lost at launch.

Glonass satellites operate in circular orbits at an altitude of 19100 km an inclination of 64 8 deg and each satellite completes the orbit in. View pre launch news release 3. It is the orbit used by the global positioning system gps satellites. This orbit is consistent and highly predictable.

In 24 hours the satellite crosses over the same two spots on the equator every day. The gps receiver needs 4 satellites to work out your position in 3 dimensions. This means that the same satellite reaches a certain position about 4 minutes earlier each day. More specifically the time it takes for the earth to rotate on its axis is 23 hours 56 minutes and 4 09 seconds which is the same as a satellite in a geosynchronous orbit.

As the satellite moves the earth rotates underneath it. The space force successfully launched the third gps iii satellite into orbit.