Molniya

Overview

A long-running series of Soviet communications satellites that gave their name to the Molniya orbit — a highly elliptical orbit whose slow apogee high over the northern latitudes provided the coverage that geostationary satellites could not reach at high latitudes.

Knowledge connections

• OrbitHighly Elliptical Orbit (HEO)

Sources

Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.

• Gunter's Space PageGunter Krebs — Gunter's Space Page

  A specialist reference compilation of launch vehicles, stages, and spacecraft across all spacefaring nations.