Objects below approximately 160 kilometers 99 mi will experience very rapid orbital decay and altitude loss.
Low orbit satellite distance from earth.
A low earth orbit leo is an orbit from roughly 100 to 1240 miles 160 2000km above the earth s surface.
Below 124 miles orbits rapidly degrade causing surface impact and above 1 240 miles or even less the earth s radiation belts damage electronic equipment necessitating special shielding.
Traditional communication satellites are stationed far higher at roughly 36 000 kilometers.
A low earth orbit leo is an earth centred orbit with an altitude of 2 000 km 1 200 mi or less approximately one third of the radius of earth or with at least 11 25 periods per day an orbital period of 128 minutes or less and an eccentricity less than 0 25.
Nearly all human spaceflight has taken place in the low earth orbit with a few notable exceptions.
Technically objects in low earth orbit are at an altitude of between 160 to 2 000 km 99 to 1200 mi above the earth s surface.
Low earth orbit is only slightly above the earth by outer space standards 124 1240 miles 200 2000 km in altitude.
The semi synchronous orbit is a near circular orbit low eccentricity 26 560 kilometers from the center of the earth about 20 200 kilometers above the surface.
A low earth orbit leo is an orbit around earth with an altitude between the earth s surface and 2 000 kilometers 1 200 mi with an orbital period of between about 84 and 127 minutes.
A satellite at this height takes 12 hours to complete an orbit.
To maintain an orbit that is 22 223 miles 35 786 kilometers above earth the satellite must orbit at a speed of about 7 000 mph 11 300 kph.
Any objects below about 160 kilometers or 99 miles will experience very rapid altitude loss and orbital decay.
Most of the manmade objects in outer space are in leo.
Leo satellites operate from 500 kilometers 311 miles to 2 000 kilometers above the earth s surface.
As the satellite moves the earth rotates underneath it.
What is the purpose of large leo satellite constellations.
That orbital speed and distance permit the satellite to make one revolution in 24 hours.
The low earth orbit extends from 160km above earth and ends at 2000km.
A great number of satellites are also in a low earth orbit as is the international space station.
The lower the worse.
A low earth orbit is an orbit around earth with an altitude above earth s surface of 2 000 kilometers 1 200 miles and an orbital period between about 84 and 127 minutes.
This value decreases as the altitude increases.
