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GTO is a highly elliptical Earth orbit with an apogee (the point in the orbit of the moon or a satellite at which it is furthest from the earth) of 42,164 km (26,199 mi), [3] or a height of 35,786 km (22,236 mi) above sea level, which corresponds to the geostationary altitude.
A special case of the geosynchronous orbit, the geostationary orbit, has an eccentricity of zero (meaning the orbit is circular), and an inclination of zero in the Earth-Centered, Earth-Fixed coordinate system (meaning the orbital plane is not tilted relative to the Earth's equator). The "ground track" in this case consists of a single point on ...
Transfer orbits using electrical propulsion or low-thrust engines optimize the transfer time to reach the final orbit and not the delta-v as in the Hohmann transfer orbit. For geostationary orbit, the initial orbit is set to be supersynchronous and by thrusting continuously in the direction of the velocity at apogee, the transfer orbit ...
Geostationary or geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO): An elliptic orbit where the perigee is at the altitude of a low Earth orbit (LEO) and the apogee at the altitude of a geostationary orbit. Hohmann transfer orbit: An orbital maneuver that moves a spacecraft from one circular orbit to another using two engine impulses.
The first satellite placed in a geostationary orbit was Syncom 3, which was launched by a Delta D rocket in 1964. [14] With its increased bandwidth, this satellite was able to transmit live coverage of the Summer Olympics from Japan to America. Geostationary orbits have been in common use ever since, in particular for satellite television. [10]
A satellite in a geostationary orbit appears stationary, always at the same point in the sky, to ground observers. Popularly or loosely, the term "geosynchronous" may be used to mean geostationary. [1] Specifically, geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) may be a synonym for geosynchronous equatorial orbit, [2] or geostationary Earth orbit. [3]
Bi-elliptic transfer, a slower method of transfer, but one that may be more efficient than a Hohmann transfer orbit; Geostationary transfer orbit or geosynchronous transfer orbit is usually also a Hohmann transfer orbit; Lunar transfer orbit is an orbit that touches Low Earth orbit and a lunar orbit
A satellite being propelled into place, into a stationary orbit, is first fired to a special equatorial orbit called a "geostationary transfer orbit" (GTO). [1] Within this oval-shaped ( elliptical ) orbit, the satellite will alternately swing out to 22,300 miles (35,890 km) high and then back down to an altitude of only 100 miles (160 km ...