Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
medium earth orbit
References
Britannica AI Icon

medium earth orbit

communication
Also known as: MEO
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) is a region of space where satellites orbit at an altitude between 10,000 and 20,000 km (6,300 to 12,500 miles) above Earth. Satellites in MEO are used for communication, often for mobile and voice services, to avoid the signal delays inherent in geostationary satellites. While Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites are closer to Earth and have shorter orbital periods, MEO satellites are positioned further away. Communication with MEO satellites requires tracking antennas on the ground to maintain a seamless connection. Unlike geostationary orbits, which can provide global coverage with just three satellites, MEO requires 10 or more satellites to cover the entire Earth.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
2 Britannica Sources
  1. low Earth orbit
  2. satellite communication

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.