Geostationary Orbit (GEO)
Communications and weather satellites that must stay fixed above one point on the equator, such as GOES, Meteosat, and Intelsat.
Overview
A circular orbit 35,786 km above the equator where a satellite's period matches Earth's rotation, so it appears fixed in the sky. The workhorse orbit for communications and weather monitoring.
Typical uses
Communications and weather satellites that must stay fixed above one point on the equator, such as GOES, Meteosat, and Intelsat.
Satellites in this orbit
4 satellites and constellations modelled in this orbit.
- GOES-16Active
The first of NOAA's advanced GOES-R geostationary weather satellites, imaging the Western Hemisphere every few minutes for forecasting and storm tracking.
OperatorNOAAOrbitGEOLaunched2016 - Himawari-8Active
A Japanese geostationary weather satellite operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency, providing high-frequency full-disk imaging of East Asia and the western Pacific.
OperatorJapan Meteorological Agency (JMA)OrbitGEOLaunched2014 - Intelsat I (Early Bird)Retired
The first commercial communications satellite in geostationary orbit, which began regular transatlantic telecommunications service in 1965.
OperatorIntelsatOrbitGEOLaunched1965 EUMETSAT's geostationary weather satellites imaging Europe, Africa, and the Atlantic to support European weather forecasting.
OperatorEUMETSATOrbitGEOLaunched2002
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.
- ESAEuropean Space Agency
European missions, observatories, and space science imagery.