ABOUT MEDIUM EARTH ORBIT (MEO)
Medium Earth Orbit occupies the region between LEO and GEO, from about 2,000 km to 35,786 km altitude. MEO is the preferred orbit for navigation satellite constellations like GPS, Galileo, and GLONASS. The higher altitude provides broader coverage than LEO while maintaining reasonable signal latency.
ORBITAL PARAMETERS
| Altitude (Min) | 2,000 km |
| Altitude (Max) | 35,786 km |
| Inclination | 55-56° |
| Orbital Period | 127-720 minutes |
| Orbital Velocity | 3.9-7.8 km/s |
| Delta-V Required | 9.9 km/s |
| Eccentricity | 0-0.01 |
| Category | Earth Orbit |
EQUATION / FORMULA
v = sqrt(GM/r)
ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES
ADVANTAGES
Broad coverage, moderate latency, fewer satellites needed than LEO, stable radiation environment below Van Allen belts
DISADVANTAGES
Higher launch energy than LEO, Van Allen radiation belt exposure, longer signal travel time
HISTORY
| Discoverer / Pioneer | Theoretical: Johannes Kepler (1609) |
| First Use | July 10, 1962 |
ALTITUDE CONVERSIONS (MIN)
| Kilometers | 2,000 km |
| Miles | 1,243 mi |
| Nautical Miles | 1,080 nmi |
TYPICAL PAYLOADS (3)
SATELLITE CONSTELLATIONS (5)
