Clarke orbit
E469541
A Clarke orbit is a geostationary orbit directly above Earth's equator where a satellite appears fixed over one point on the surface, enabling continuous communication coverage.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Geostationary orbit | 1 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Earth orbit
ⓘ
circular orbit ⓘ equatorial orbit ⓘ geostationary orbit ⓘ |
| advantage |
continuous line-of-sight to fixed ground stations
ⓘ
large coverage area per satellite ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
GEO
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
geostationary orbit ⓘ |
| altitude |
about 22,236 miles above Earth's equator
ⓘ
about 35,786 kilometers above Earth's equator ⓘ |
| appearsFixedRelativeTo | a point on Earth's surface ⓘ |
| belongsTo | Earth-centered inertial reference frame ⓘ |
| communicationLatency | about 240 to 280 milliseconds round-trip ⓘ |
| conceptProposedBy | Arthur C. Clarke NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| conceptPublicationYear | 1945 ⓘ |
| conceptPublishedIn | Wireless World NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| disadvantage |
higher latency than low Earth orbit
ⓘ
higher launch energy requirement than low Earth orbit ⓘ |
| eccentricity | 0 ⓘ |
| enables |
continuous coverage of a specific region on Earth
ⓘ
fixed ground antennas to point at a single position in the sky ⓘ |
| hasProperty |
constant altitude over equator
ⓘ
constant longitude over Earth ⓘ |
| inclination | 0 degrees ⓘ |
| liesAbove | Earth's equator NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| namedAfter | Arthur C. Clarke NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| orbitalPeriod |
about 23 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds
ⓘ
one sidereal day ⓘ |
| orbitalRadiusFromEarthCenter | about 42,164 kilometers ⓘ |
| orbits | Earth NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| regulation |
subject to ITU orbital slot allocation
ⓘ
subject to national licensing of satellites ⓘ |
| requires |
station-keeping maneuvers
ⓘ
thrusters for orbit maintenance ⓘ |
| stability |
perturbed by Earth's oblateness
ⓘ
perturbed by gravitational effects of Sun and Moon ⓘ perturbed by solar radiation pressure ⓘ |
| supports |
direct-to-home television services
ⓘ
global telecommunications infrastructure ⓘ maritime and aeronautical communications ⓘ meteorological imaging ⓘ satellite radio services ⓘ |
| synchronousWith | Earth's rotation ⓘ |
| typicalLongitudeRange | 0 to 360 degrees along equator ⓘ |
| usedFor |
communications satellites
ⓘ
data relay satellites ⓘ television broadcast satellites ⓘ weather satellites ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
"Extra-Terrestrial Relays" (1945 article on communications satellites)
→
hasNotableConcept
→
Clarke orbit
ⓘ
subject surface form:
Extra-Terrestrial Relays