Table of Contents
- 1 Can you have a geostationary satellite not at the equator?
- 2 Is geostationary orbit always above the equator?
- 3 Why is it not possible to place a satellite in a geostationary orbit above a point on the earth that is not on the equator?
- 4 Why are GPS satellites not geostationary?
- 5 Are all GPS satellites geostationary?
- 6 Can a geostationary orbit be in the plane of the equator?
- 7 Why don’t satellites have to be above the equator?
- 8 What is GSO (a geostationary orbit)?
Can you have a geostationary satellite not at the equator?
No, a geostationary orbit must be in the plane of the Earth’s equator. Any other orbit would have the satellite appear to drift above and below the equator during the course of a day. A geosynchronous orbit matches the Earth’s rotational speed, but only allows a satellite to appear over the same spot once per day.
Is geostationary orbit always above the equator?
It is always directly over the same place on the Earth’s surface. Satellites in geostationary orbit rotate with the Earth directly above the equator, continuously staying above the same spot.
Can geosynchronous orbit be achieved from anywhere other than the equator?
Orbital stability A geostationary orbit can be achieved only at an altitude very close to 35,786 kilometres (22,236 miles) and directly above the equator. All geostationary satellites have to be located on this ring.
Why is it not possible to place a satellite in a geostationary orbit above a point on the earth that is not on the equator?
There cannot be a geostationary satellite at the poles, basically because it would have to be at rest, which cannot happen as it would get pulled by the earth’s gravity and eventually crash to the surface.
Why are GPS satellites not geostationary?
By placing the satellites just below or just above geostationary, such offensive satellites could go around every position, so it could disable all GPS satellites. Additionally, there are many reason to put satellites on such orbit, so it would not raise alarm, and it could be send with much advance (of time).
Are geosynchronous satellites over the equator?
A geosynchronous orbit is a high Earth orbit that allows satellites to match Earth’s rotation. Located at 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above Earth’s equator, this position is a valuable spot for monitoring weather, communications and surveillance.
Are all GPS satellites geostationary?
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a constellation of about 24 artificial satellites. The GPS satellites are uniformly distributed in a total of six orbits such that there are four satellites per orbit. The GPS satellites are not in a geostationary orbit, but rise and set two times per day.
Can a geostationary orbit be in the plane of the equator?
Answer. No, a geostationary orbit must be in the plane of the Earth’s equator. That way, by matching its orbital speed with the speed of a point on the equator, the moving satellite appears to be stationary over that point. Any other orbit would have the satellite appear to drift above and below the equator during the course of a day.
What is the difference between a geostationary and a geosynchronous satellite?
All geostationary satellites are geosynchronous. Not all geosynchronous satellites are geostationary. Think of it like this: the “synchronous” part of geosynchronous describes the rate of the satellite’s orbit but says nothing about its inclination—the orbit’s angle with respect to the equator.
Why don’t satellites have to be above the equator?
They don’t have to be placed above the equator, they can be geostationary over any spot on Earth. Canada for example has several satellites in geostationary orbits to cover just Canada including the far north for communications, many stations in the southern US cannot ‘see’ them at all.
What is GSO (a geostationary orbit)?
A Geostationary Orbit (GSO) is a geosynchronous orbit with an inclination of zero, meaning, it lies on the equator. All geostationary satellites are geosynchronous.