![]() ![]() Being outside would give you severe burns, no matter how much sunscreen you put on your skin.Īfter getting an incredible suntan on our vacation near Venus, we’d head back across the Solar System all the way to Pluto. As we approached the orbit of Venus, the surface temperature of Earth would go up to 460☌ (860☏). Our oceans would begin to evaporate.Īll this would leave us with a tremendous amount of carbon dioxide in the air, and little to no water left. With little land left to absorb the scorching heat from the Sun, global temperatures would skyrocket. Global sea levels would rise 70 meters (230 feet): enough to cover London’s Tower Bridge and flood most of the planet. As the heat became more extreme, all the ice on the planet would start to melt. Think it would be nice to have summer all year long everywhere on Earth? I bet you’d change your mind pretty fast. The closer we got to the Sun, the more heat would hit the planet. Even the slightest shift in the Earth’s orbit would change that. We’re in the Sun’s habitable zone, where water can exist in liquid form. The Earth orbits the Sun at just the right distance – not so far away that we turn into an icy rock, and not so close that we burn to a crisp. The main disadvantage is that the satellite position from a point on the Earth does not remain the same.But what if that difference was much, much greater? With two satellites in any orbit, they are able to provide continuous coverage. The HEO is not limited to equatorial orbits like the geostationary orbit and the resulting lack of high latitude and polar coverage.Īs a result it ability to provide high latitude and polar coverage, countries such as Russia which need coverage over polar and near polar areas make significant use of highly elliptical orbits, HEO. The highly elliptical satellite orbit can be used to provide coverage over any point on the globe. Highly elliptical orbit, HEO, applications ![]() Those orbits above the equator are generally called equatorial obits, whilst those above the poles are called polar orbits. Angle of inclination of a satellite orbit This means that an orbit directly above the equator will have an inclination of 0° (or 180°), and one passing over the poles will have an angle of 90°. It is the angle between a line perpendicular to the plane of the orbit and a line passing through the poles. The angle of inclination of a satellite orbit is shown below. Some may orbit around the equator, whereas others may have different orbits. The plane of a satellite orbit is also important. By placing a number of satellites in the same orbit, but equally spaced apart, permanent coverage can be achieved. This means that the satellite can be in view over its operational area for most of the time, and falling out of view when the satellite comes closer to the Earth and passes over the blind side of the Earth. If the satellite orbit is very elliptical, the satellite will spend most of its time near apogee where it moves very slowly. The point where it is closest to the Earth is known as the perigee - this is where the satellite moves at its fastest. This point is known as the apogee - this is where the satellite moves at its slowest as the gravitational pull from the earth is lower. One is where the satellite is furthest from the Earth. Another feature of an elliptical orbit is that there are two other major points. However one of the key features of an elliptical orbit is that the satellite in an elliptical orbit about Earth moves much faster when it is close to Earth than when it is further away.įor any ellipse, there are two focal points, and one of these is the geo-centre of the Earth. Highly elliptical orbit, HEO, basicsĪs the name implies, an elliptical orbit or as it is more commonly known the highly elliptical orbit, HEO, follows the curve of an ellipse. The satellite elliptical orbit gives a number of coverage options that are not available when circular orbits are used. This means that polar and high latitude areas can be covered with highly elliptical orbits, HEO. For example it does not require the orbits to be equatorial like the geostationary orbit. The elliptical orbit is often called the Highly Elliptical Orbit, HEO.Īs a result of this many satellites are placed in elliptical orbits, especially where certain attributes are required. While circular orbits may be the obvious solution for many satellites, elliptical orbits have many advantages for certain applications. Satellite orbit types & definitions Low earth orbit, LEO Geostationary orbit, GEO Highly elliptical orbit HEO Techniques for launching satellites into orbit Highly Elliptical Satellite Orbits Notes and details about satellite elliptical orbits often referred to as the Highly Elliptical Orbit, HEO: their advantages and key points. ![]()
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