low Earth orbit
E81038
Low Earth orbit is the region of space relatively close to Earth’s surface, commonly used for satellites, space stations, and crewed missions due to its lower altitude and easier access.
Aliases (2)
- Low Earth orbit ×5
- Earth orbit ×1
Statements (51)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Earth orbit
→
near-Earth space environment → orbital region → |
| alsoKnownAs |
LEO
→
|
| hasAbbreviation |
LEO
→
|
| hasAdvantage |
high spatial resolution for imaging Earth
→
lower launch energy requirements compared to higher orbits → shorter communication latency with Earth → |
| hasCommonWorkingDefinitionLowerBound |
160 kilometers altitude
→
|
| hasCommonWorkingDefinitionUpperBound |
2,000 kilometers altitude
→
|
| hasDisadvantage |
dense population of space debris
→
increased atmospheric drag causing orbital decay → limited field of view of Earth at any given time → |
| hasOrbitalInclination |
varies from equatorial to polar
→
|
| hasOrbitalPeriodRange |
about 88 to 127 minutes
→
|
| hasSubcategory |
equatorial low Earth orbit
→
polar orbit → sun-synchronous orbit → very low Earth orbit → |
| hasTypicalAltitudeLowerBound |
about 160 kilometers above Earth’s surface
→
|
| hasTypicalAltitudeUpperBound |
about 2,000 kilometers above Earth’s surface
→
|
| hasTypicalOrbitalVelocity |
about 7.8 kilometers per second
→
|
| hosts |
International Space Station
→
Tiangong space station → |
| isBelow |
geostationary orbit
→
geosynchronous orbit → medium Earth orbit → |
| isCharacterizedBy |
high orbital velocity
→
relatively strong Earth gravity → short orbital periods → significant atmospheric drag → |
| isEnvironmentFor |
human spaceflight missions
→
microgravity experiments → on-orbit satellite servicing and assembly → |
| isPartOf |
near-Earth space
→
|
| isRegionOfConcernFor |
space debris mitigation
→
space traffic management → |
| isSubjectOf |
international space law discussions
→
orbital debris guidelines → |
| isUsedBy |
commercial space companies
→
government space agencies → military space programs → |
| isUsedFor |
Earth observation satellites
→
communication satellites → crew transportation missions → remote sensing satellites → scientific satellites → space tourism missions → technology demonstration satellites → weather satellites → |
| orbits |
Earth
→
|
Referenced by (7)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
GOSAT-2
("Low Earth orbit")
→
RADARSAT Constellation Mission ("Low Earth orbit") → RADARSAT-2 ("Low Earth orbit") → STS-107 ("Low Earth orbit") → |
orbitRegime |
|
Lost Moon
("Earth orbit")
→
|
describesLocation |
|
Kennedy Space Center
→
|
launchesTo |
|
STS-114
("Low Earth orbit")
→
|
visitedDestination |