Geostationary Satellite Orbit Height

About 35 786 kilometers above the earth s surface satellites are in geostationary orbit.

Geostationary satellite orbit height.

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. 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. 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 satellite in a geostationary orbit appears stationary always at the same point in the sky to ground observers.

From the center of the earth this is approximately 42 164 kilometers. This distance puts it in the high earth orbit category. Because the satellite stays right over the same spot all the time this kind of orbit is called geostationary. We can calculate the height h above the earth s surface by subtracting the radius of the earth from the radius of the orbit.

H 4 22 10 7 6 37 10 6 3 583 10 7 m. The molniya orbit offers a useful alternative. That orbital speed and distance permit the satellite to make one revolution in 24 hours. At any inclination a geosynchronous orbit synchronizes with the rotation of the earth.

Popularly or loosely the term geosynchronous may be used to mean geostationary. Originally spacex intended to launch 4 425 satellites to non geostationary orbits ngso ranging from 1100 and 1300 km 680 and 800 mi which would transmit in the ku and ka radio bands. 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. 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.

A circular geosynchronous orbit has a constant altitude of 35 786 km 22 236 mi and all geosynchronous orbits share that semi major axis. Specifically geosynchronous earth orbit geo may be a synonym for geosynchronous equatorial orbit or geostationary earth orbit. A satellite in a geostationary orbit remains in the same position in. 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.

A special case of geosynchronous orbit is the geostationary orbit which is a circular geosynchronous orbit in earth s equatorial plane.