SATELLIT

E ORBITS

M.SAAD BIN ILYAS

BE-307-026
SATELLITE ORBITS

1. Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEOs)

2. Medium Earth Orbit (MEOs)

3. Low Earth Orbit (LEOs)

GEOs
GEOs
 GEO is a geosynchronous orbit directly above the
Earth's equator

Period equal to the Earth's rotational period known as

the sidereal day or 23h56m04s 

Latitude = 0° so satellites in GEO differ in location

by longitude only
A geostationary orbit can only be achieved at an altitude
very close to 35,786 km (22,236 mi) and directly above
the equator

 Orbital velocity becomes3.07 km/s (1.91 mi/s) or a

period of 1436 minutes, which equates to almost exactly
one sidereal day 

The first satellite placed into a geostationary orbit was

the Syncom-3, launched by a Delta-D rocket in 1964
Most commercial communications satellites, weather
satellites broadcast satellites operate in GEO

GEO are useful because an antenna can point in a fixed

direction that can maintain a link with the satellite

The fact that there is only one geostationary orbit presents

a more serious limitation

Geostationary satellites are boosted into a slightly

higher orbit at the end of their planned lifetime
Advantages

 A GEO satellite’s distance from earth gives it a large

coverage area, almost a fourth of the earth’s surface

 GEO satellites have a 24 hour view of a particular area

 These factors make it ideal for satellite broadcast and

other multipoint applications.
Disadvantages

 A GEO satellite’s distance also cause it to have both a

comparatively weak signal and a time delay in the
signal, which is bad for point to point communication.

 GEO satellites, centered above the equator, have

difficulty broadcasting signals to near polar regions
MEOs
MEOs
MEO sometimes called intermediate circular orbit
(ICO) region of space around the Earth above LEO (altitude
of 2,000 km) & below GEO (altitude of 35,786 km)

Any satellite that orbits the earth between about 1000-

22,000 miles (1609.34- 35,405.57 km) above earth is an MEO

The orbital periods of MEO satellites range from about 2 to

24 hours
MEO represents a series of tradeoffs between GEO and
LEO

MEO enables a satellite provider to cover the earth with

fewer satellites than LEO, but requires more satellites to
do so than GEO

 MEO terrestrial terminals can be of lower power and use

smaller antennas than the terrestrial terminals of GEO
satellite systems

Communications satellites that cover the North and

South Pole are also put in MEO
MEOs may have a variety of different orbits, MEOs
typically are able to create a larger footprint because of
their different orbital patterns, and because they are
higher than LEOs.

Today the MEOs is most commonly used in navigation

systems around the world. These include GPS, and the
Russian Glonass. A proposed MEO navigation
system for the European Union called Galileo is
expected to begin operations in 2013.
Advantage

 A MEO satellite’s longer duration of visibility and

wider footprint means fewer satellites are needed in a
MEO network than a LEO network

Disadvantage

 A MEO satellite’s distance gives it a longer time delay

and weaker signal than a LEO satellite, though not as
bad as a GEO satellite.
LEOs
LEOs
LEO satellites are much closer to the earth than GEO
satellites, generally defined as an orbit within
the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an
altitude of 2,000 km

LEO satellites don’t stay in fixed position relative to the

surface, and are only visible for 15 to 20 minutes each pass

A network of LEO satellites is necessary for LEO satellites

to be useful
The International Space Station is in a LEO that varies
from 319.6 km (199 mi) to 346.9 km (216 mi) above the
Earth's surface

While a majority of artificial satellites are placed in

LEO, where they travel at about 27,400 km/h (8 km/s),
making one complete revolution around the Earth in
about 90 minute

In order to maintain continuous communications,

multiple LEOs must be used. From 48 to 66 LEOs are
needed to cover the earth
 Space Junk
The LEO environment is getting
very crowded. According to the USSC,
there are more than 8,000 objects
larger than a softball now circling the globe

Some people worry about the number of items now in

low earth orbit. Not all of these things are working
satellites. There are pieces of metal from old rockets,
broken satellites. At 17,000 mph, even a small bolt can
hit a space shuttle with the impact of a hand grenade.
Advantages

 A LEO satellite’s proximity to earth compared to a GEO

satellite gives it a better signal strength and less of a time
delay, which makes it better for point to point
communication

 A LEO satellite’s smaller area of coverage results in less

waste of bandwidth.
Disadvantages

 A network of LEO satellites is needed, which can be

costly

 LEO satellites have to compensate for Doppler shifts

cause by their relative movement

 Atmospheric drag effects LEO satellites, causing gradual

orbital deterioration
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