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The constellation of Molniya-orbiting satellites uses three satellites on different orbital planes, with apogees comparable to those of the geostationary satellites. A Molniya orbit (Russian: Молния , IPA: [ˈmolnʲɪjə] ⓘ , "Lightning") is a type of satellite orbit designed to provide communications and remote sensing coverage over ...
In the early 1960s, when Europe and America were establishing geostationary communication satellites, the Russians found these orbits unsuitable. [6] They were limited in the amount of rocket power available and it is extremely energy intensive to both launch a satellite to 40,000 km, and change its inclination to be over the equator, especially when launched from Russia.
Molniya orbit: A semi-synchronous variation of a Tundra orbit. For Earth this means an orbital period of just under 12 hours. Such a satellite spends most of its time over two designated areas of the planet. An inclination of 63.4° is normally used to keep the perigee shift small. [15]
A satellite with an orbital inclination between zero and ninety degrees is said to be in what is called a direct or prograde orbit, meaning that it orbits in the same direction as the planet's rotation. A satellite with an orbital inclination between 90° and 180° (or, equivalently, between 0° and −90°) is said to be in a retrograde orbit.
A highly elliptical orbit (HEO) is an elliptic orbit with high eccentricity, usually referring to one around Earth.Examples of inclined HEO orbits include Molniya orbits, named after the Molniya Soviet communication satellites which used them, and Tundra orbits.
Toggle the table of contents. ... Printable version; In other projects ... an apogee of 917 km (570 mi), an inclination of 99.01°, and an orbital period of 102.7 ...
Clickable image, highlighting medium altitude orbits around Earth, [a] from Low Earth to the lowest High Earth orbit (geostationary orbit and its graveyard orbit, at one ninth of the Moon's orbital distance), [b] with the Van Allen radiation belts and the Earth to scale To-scale diagram of low, medium, and high Earth orbits Space of Medium Earth orbits (MEO) as pink area, with Earth and the ...
A Molniya-M carrier rocket with a 2BL upper stage was used to perform the launch, which took place at 15:09 UTC on 12 August 1985. [3] The launch successfully placed the satellite into a molniya orbit. It subsequently received its Kosmos designation, and the international designator 1985-071A. [4]