ABOUT LOW EARTH ORBIT (LEO)
Low Earth Orbit is the most commonly used orbital regime, extending from approximately 160 km to 2,000 km above Earth. It is home to the International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope, and thousands of commercial satellites. LEO offers low latency communications and relatively easy access from Earth.
ORBITAL PARAMETERS
| Altitude (Min) | 160 km |
| Altitude (Max) | 2,000 km |
| Inclination | 0-90° |
| Orbital Period | 88-127 minutes |
| Orbital Velocity | 7.8 km/s |
| Delta-V Required | 9.4 km/s |
| Eccentricity | 0-0.25 |
| Category | Earth Orbit |
EQUATION / FORMULA
v = sqrt(GM/r)
ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES
ADVANTAGES
Low latency, easy access, lower launch cost, high-resolution imaging
DISADVANTAGES
Limited coverage per satellite, atmospheric drag causes orbital decay, space debris density
HISTORY
| Discoverer / Pioneer | Theoretical: Isaac Newton (1687) |
| First Use | October 4, 1957 |
ALTITUDE CONVERSIONS (MIN)
| Kilometers | 160 km |
| Miles | 99 mi |
| Nautical Miles | 86 nmi |
TYPICAL PAYLOADS (5)
SATELLITE CONSTELLATIONS (4)
