 GOES-14 lifts off from |
Orbital space must be protected because it is a valuable natural resource, serving as home to satellites that are essential to communications, weather forecasting, Earth observation and other activities. Many satellites, including Earth observing spacecraft, are located in low Earth orbit at altitudes ranging from 400-1240 miles and complete their revolutions in 90 minutes. Navigation satellites, including GPS, are situated in medium Earth orbit at an altitude of 12,552 miles. Communications satellites are often located in geostationary orbit, 22,236 miles above the equator, and rotate with the Earth. Weather satellites are located in geostationary or polar orbits. In the developed world, satellite technologies are an integral part of everyday life.The failure of a single satellite in 1998 disabled video feeds for cable and broadcast transmission, credit card authorization networks and corporate communications systems. |
Orbital Space
