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Types of Orbits (1)

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Types of Orbits (1)

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litolubejr01
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TYPES OF ORBITS

WHAT IS AN ORBIT?
An orbit is a regular, repeating path that an object in space takes around another one. An object moving around a planet
in an orbit is called a satellite.
INCLINATION OF ORBIT
It is the angle of the orbit in relation to Earth's equator.
• A satellite that orbits directly above the equator has zero inclination.
• If a satellite orbits from the north pole (geographic, not magnetic) to the south pole, its inclination is 90 degrees.

ORBITAL MOTION
The height of the orbit, or distance between the satellite and Earth's surface, determines how quickly the satellite moves
around the Earth.
An Earth-orbiting satellite's motion is mostly controlled by Earth's gravity.
As satellites get closer to Earth, the pull of gravity gets stronger and the satellite moves more quickly.
A satellite's momentum and the force of gravity have to be balanced for the formation of an orbit.

According to the height of satellites from earth, the orbits can be classified as:
TYPES OF ORBIT
LEO- Low Earth Orbit
MEO- Medium Earth Orbit
HEO- High Earth Orbit

Low Earth Orbit (LEO)


• Height between 180-2000 kilometers.
• Highly inclined orbit.
• Satellites take around 99 minutes to complete an orbit.
Scientific Satellites (eg. The International Space Station, Hubble Telescope) and some Earth Observation Satellites are
revolving in low earth orbit.
Example: • ASTROSAT, India's first dedicated multi wavelength space observatory.

Polar Orbit:
• It is generally a LEO.
• Formation of polar orbit due to the north-south motion of a satellite over the poles. A satellite in polar orbit can
observe the entire Earth's surface in the time span of 24 hours.
Some specific uses:
• Monitoring crops
• Global security Measuring ozone concentrations in the stratosphere
• Measuring temperatures in the atmosphere.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit:
It is another variation of LEO.
• The angle between the line joining the center of the Earth and the satellite and the Sun is constant throughout the
orbit.
• The orbit passes by any given point over the equator at approximately the same local time each day/night.
• It is a near polar orbit with constant sun illumination.
• Thus, it is used for various remote sensing and earth observation satellites.
Example: • Cartosat-3, the most complex and advanced earth observation satellite built by ISRO.

Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)


• It is higher than the LEO and is at a height between 2000 - 35,786 kilometers.
• The orbital periods of MEO satellites range from about 2 to 24 hours.
• Uses: • Navigation Satellites • Communication Satellites

Semi-synchronous orbit:
• It is a near-circular orbit (low eccentricity).
• This is the most commonly used orbit at around 20,200 km with an orbital period of 12 hours.
• This orbit is consistent and highly predictable.
Due to its stable nature, the orbit is used for Navigation satellites.
Example: • Global Positioning System (GPS) • Russian GLONASS
Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO):
• The orbit is highly eccentric - the satellite moves in an extreme ellipse. It is an orbit of low perigee and a high apogee.
• The elliptical shape of the orbit helps in observing high latitudes, which are otherwise not covered by circular orbits.
It spends about two-thirds of its time over one hemisphere.
The orbit is used for:
• Communications in the far north or south.
• Earth magnetospheric measurements and astronomical observatories.
Example: • Russian Molniya satellite

High Earth Orbit (HEO)


A satellite reaches at the height of 35,786 kilometres to form a HEO.
• At this height, the orbit matches Earth's rotation speed.
• Application: • Weather monitoring satellites. • Communication satellite. Locate ships and airplanes in distress. •
Monitor solar activity.

Geosynchronous Orbit (GSO)


As the satellite orbits at the same speed the Earth is rotating, the satellite seems to stay in place over a single longitude,
though it may drift north to south.
Geosynchronous orbit's eccentricity and inclination may not necessarily be zero, that is, the orbit is inclined and
eclipsed.
• When the orbit is circular and has zero inclination, it is considered to be geostationary.
A satellite in geosynchronous orbit can see one spot of the planet almost all of the time. For Earth observation, this
allows the satellite to look at how much a region changes over months or years.
Example: • Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS): NavIC - 4 of the 7 satellites in GSO. • India's
telecommunication satellite GSAT-30 • GSAT-12 Communication Satellite

Geostationary Orbit (GEO)


• A special type of geosynchronous orbit that lies on the same plane as the equator, that is, the orbital tilt is zero.
• An observer would see the satellite fixed in the sky.
• Geostationary orbit is best known for the many satellites used for various forms of tele communication.
• Telecommunication needs to see their satellite all time and hence it must remain stationary in the same positions
relative to the Earth's surface.
Example: • Indian Regional Navigation Satellite satellites in GEO. System (IRNSS): NavIC - 3 of the 7 • GSAT-11
communication satellite.

LAGRANGE POINTS
• They lie beyond the High Earth Orbit, where the pull of gravity from the Earth cancels out the pull of gravity from the
Sun.
Anything placed at these points will feel equally pulled toward the Earth and the Sun and will revolve with the Earth
around the Sun.

GEOSYNCHRONOUS TRANSFER ORBIT (GTO)


It is an elliptical Earth orbit used to transfer a spacecraft from a low altitude orbit or flight trajectory to geostationary
orbit.

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