SOLAR SYSTEM

Detailed explanation-1: -To keep transmitted power requirements low, both the satellite and the earth station antennas must be highly directional. Furthermore, for LEO satellites, orbital periods are of the order of 90 minutes, which means that satellites will only be visible from 5 to 20 minutes per orbit (depending on altitude).

Detailed explanation-2: -GOES-16 observes Earth from an equatorial view approximately 22, 300 miles high, creating full disk images like these, extending from the coast of West Africa, to Guam, and everything in between.

Detailed explanation-3: -The best examples of LEO satellites include: the Hubble space telescope, the International Space Station, the Spot family of satellites, and military observation satellites. The low Earth orbit is often described as orbits below 2, 000 kilometers (1, 200 miles) and as low as 160 kilometers.

Detailed explanation-4: -The majority of satellites orbiting the Earth do so at altitudes between 160 and 2, 000 kilometers. This orbital regime is called low Earth orbit, or LEO, due to the satellites’ relative closeness to the Earth.

Detailed explanation-5: -Satellites and space stations in LEO are more accessible for crew and servicing. Since it requires less energy to place a satellite into a LEO, and a satellite there needs less powerful amplifiers for successful transmission, LEO is used for many communication applications, such as the Iridium phone system.