What is the difference between leo and geo satellites

Latency is clearly a major determiner of data performance, and LEO satellites can ostensibly offer low-latency connectivity. However, the limited coverage, complex inter-satellite networking, and elaborate ground infrastructure call into question the possibility of achieving tangible, consistent performance gains with LEO networks. MEO satellites by contrast are an established and proven solution, already delivering reliable high-bandwidth communication.

Rather than being limited by a single altitude, this type of adaptive technology empowers telcos, mobile operators, and large organisations to capitalise on the merits of these two tried-and-tested orbit classes.

They also fly much faster, completing an orbit in as little as 40 — minutes. However, their proximity to Earth means many more are needed to provide complete global coverage. Companies like SpaceX and Iridium are planning to put tens of thousands of LEO satellites into orbit over the next months and years.

These huge mega constellations are likely to provide faster, more stable and more complete coverage for data connections in the future, but are still at an early stage in terms of network development. This article is brought to you by Simple Flying Connectivity, a new category on Simple Flying dedicated to inflight connectivity. Click here to read all of our inflight connectivity content.

Managing Editor - Joanna has worked in publishing for more than a decade and is fast becoming a go-to source for commercial aviation analysis. On each mission, a rocket places one or more satellites onto their individual orbits. The choice of which launch vehicle is used depends primarily on the mass of the payload, but also on how far from Earth it needs to go.

Depending on which orbit Ariane 5 is going to, it is able to launch between approximately 10 to 20 tonnes into space — that is 10 —20 kg, which is about the weight of a city bus. Vega is smaller than Ariane 5, capable of launching roughly 1. Both Ariane 5 and Vega can deploy multiple satellites at a time. These rockets will be more flexible and will extend what Europe is capable of getting into orbit, and will be able to deliver payloads to several different orbits in a single flight — like a bus with multiple stops.

Upon launch, a satellite or spacecraft is most often placed in one of several particular orbits around Earth — or it might be sent on an interplanetary journey, meaning that it does not orbit Earth anymore, but instead orbits the Sun until its arrival at its final destination, like Mars or Jupiter. There are many factors that decide which orbit would be best for a satellite to use, depending on what the satellite is designed to achieve.

GEO is used by satellites that need to stay constantly above one particular place over Earth, such as telecommunication satellites. This way, an antenna on Earth can be fixed to always stay pointed towards that satellite without moving. It can also be used by weather monitoring satellites, because they can continually observe specific areas to see how weather trends emerge there.

Satellites in GEO cover a large range of Earth so as few as three equally-spaced 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. This means Europe can always stay connected and online. By comparison, most commercial aeroplanes do not fly at altitudes much greater than approximately 14 km, so even the lowest LEO is more than ten times higher than that.

This means there are more available routes for satellites in LEO, which is one of the reasons why LEO is a very commonly used orbit. It is the orbit most commonly used for satellite imaging, as being near the surface allows it to take images of higher resolution.

It is also the orbit used for the International Space Station ISS , as it is easier for astronauts to travel to and from it at a shorter distance. Satellites in this orbit travel at a speed of around 7. However, individual LEO satellites are less useful for tasks such as telecommunication, because they move so fast across the sky and therefore require a lot of effort to track from ground stations.

Both orbits synchronize with the orbit of the planet, so they appear in the same place every day. GSOs can also forecast the weather and support other types of global communication. Eventually, they may even allow us to communicate quickly and easily between bases and colonies on the Moon, Mars and beyond. SpaceX, OneWeb and even Facebook are working on designing satellite constellations that will provide affordable consumer internet to the entire planet.