Space

Science Affairs

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Consider the following statements regarding the geostationary orbit (GEO):

1. Satellites in geostationary orbit must all occupy a single ring above the equator.

2. An object in such an orbit has an orbital period equal to the Earth’s rotational period.

3. Geostationary orbits are mainly used for placing communication satellites

4. Three equally-spaced GEO satellites can provide near global coverage.

Which of the above statements are correct?

1 and 2 only

3 and 4 only

1, 2 and 3 only

1, 2, 3 and 4

Satellites :

A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit (GEO), is a circular orbit of 35,786 kilometres in altitude above Earth’s equator and follows the direction of Earth’s rotation.
Satellites in geostationary orbit must all occupy a single ring above the equator.
An object in such an orbit has an orbital period equal to the Earth’s rotational period, one sidereal day, and so to ground observers it appears motionless, in a fixed position in the sky.
Communications satellites are often placed in a geostationary orbit so that Earthbased satellite antennas (located on Earth) do not have to rotate to track them but can be pointed permanently at the position in the sky where the satellites are located.
Satellites in GEO cover a large range of Earth so as few as three equallyspaced satellites can provide near global coverage. This is because when a satellite is this far from Earth, it can cover large sections at once. This is akin to being able to see more of a map from a metre away compared with if you were a centimetre from it. So to see all of Earth at once from GEO far fewer satellites are needed than at a lower altitude