To a close approximation, planets and satellites follow elliptic orbits, with the center of mass being orbited at a focal point of the ellipse, as described...

the first satellite to be placed in this kind of orbit was launched in 1963. Communications satellites are often placed in a geostationary orbit so that...

A satellite or artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. Satellites have a variety of uses...

equal to 0. A satellite in a geostationary orbit remains in the same position in the sky to observers on the surface. Communications satellites are often...

This is a list of satellites in geosynchronous orbit (GSO). These satellites are commonly used for communication purposes, such as radio and television...

depending on orbit height. Orbits of satellites that reach altitudes below 300 km (190 mi) decay fast due to atmospheric drag. Objects in LEO orbit Earth between...

satellites are used for television, telephone, radio, internet, and military applications. Many communications satellites are in geostationary orbit 22...

A Molniya orbit (Russian: Молния, IPA: [ˈmolnʲɪjə] , "Lightning") is a type of satellite orbit designed to provide communications and remote sensing coverage...

launching Starlink satellites in 2019. As of early March 2024, it consists of over 6,000 mass-produced small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) that communicate...

graveyard orbit is a supersynchronous orbit well beyond geosynchronous orbit. Some satellites are moved into such orbits at the end of their operational life...

For a satellite to be in a stable orbit (i.e. sustainable for more than a few months), 350 km is a more standard altitude for low Earth orbit. For example...

period and shape of the satellite's orbit will not change. A satellite in a low orbit (or a low part of an elliptical orbit) moves more quickly with...

A quasi-satellite is an object in a specific type of co-orbital configuration (1:1 orbital resonance) with a planet (or dwarf planet) where the object...

orbital elements are: Planned seven satellites constellation consists of four Quasi-Zenith Orbit (QZO) satellites, two geostationary (GEO) satellites...

over many orbital periods. These orbiting bodies can be a planet and its satellite, a star and any object orbiting it, or components of any binary system...

sidereal day, and a typical eccentricity between 0.2 and 0.3. A satellite placed in this orbit spends most of its time over a chosen area of the Earth, a phenomenon...

of 66 active satellites in orbit, required for global coverage, and additional spare satellites to serve in case of failure. Satellites are placed in...

satellite, and several such measurements combined with a precise knowledge of the satellite's orbit can fix a particular position. Satellite orbital position...

A polar orbit is one in which a satellite passes above or nearly above both poles of the body being orbited (usually a planet such as the Earth, but possibly...

A Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), also called a heliosynchronous orbit, is a nearly polar orbit around a planet, in which the satellite passes over any given...

observation satellite or Earth remote sensing satellite is a satellite used or designed for Earth observation (EO) from orbit, including spy satellites and similar...

A natural satellite is, in the most common usage, an astronomical body that orbits a planet, dwarf planet, or small Solar System body (or sometimes another...

Geocentric orbit: An orbit around the planet Earth, such as that of the Moon or of artificial satellites. Selenocentric orbit (named after Selene): An orbit around...

horseshoe orbit, in which objects librate around 180° from the larger body. Objects librating around 0° are called quasi-satellites. An exchange orbit occurs...

damage satellites’ electronic systems without special shielding. A medium Earth orbit is sometimes called mid Earth orbit or intermediate circular orbit (ICO)...

identical orbits (see satellite formation flying); satellite series or satellite programs (such as Landsat), which are generations of satellites launched...

A geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) or geosynchronous transfer orbit is a type of geocentric orbit. Satellites that are destined for geosynchronous (GSO)...

A geocentric orbit, Earth-centered orbit, or Earth orbit involves any object orbiting Earth, such as the Moon or artificial satellites. In 1997, NASA...

spacecraft. Halo orbits exist in any three-body system, e.g., a Sun–Earth–orbiting satellite system or an Earth–Moon–orbiting satellite system. Continuous...

horseshoe orbit is a type of co-orbital motion of a small orbiting body relative to a larger orbiting body. The osculating (instantaneous) orbital period...