High Earth orbit

A high Earth orbit is a geocentric orbit with an altitude entirely above that of a geosynchronous orbit (35,786 kilometres (22,236 mi)). The orbital periods of such orbits are greater than twenty-four hours, therefore satellites in such orbits have an apparent retrograde motion – that is, even if they are in a prograde orbit (90° > inclination >= 0°), their orbital velocity is lower than Earth's rotational speed, causing their ground track to move westward on Earth's surface.

Example of satellite in High Earth Orbit

Notes

References

Geocentric orbit

A geocentric orbit involves any object orbiting the Earth, such as the Moon or artificial satellites. In 1997 NASA estimated there were approximately 2,465 artificial satellite payloads orbiting the Earth and 6,216 pieces of space debris as tracked by the Goddard Space Flight Center. Over 16,291 previously launched objects have decayed into the Earth's atmosphere.

List of terms and concepts

Geocentric orbit types

The following is a list of different geocentric orbit classifications.

Altitude classifications

Inclination classifications

Eccentricity classifications

Directional classifications

Geosynchronous classifications

Special classifications

Non-geocentric classifications

Tangential velocities at altitude

See also

References

External links

NewSpace

NewSpace—formerly alt.space; also "new space", and entrepreneurial space—are umbrella terms for a movement and philosophy often affiliated with, but not synonymous with, an emergent private spaceflight industry. Specifically, the terms are used to refer to a community of relatively new aerospace companies working to develop low-cost access to space or spaceflight technologies and advocates of low-cost spaceflight technology and policy.

Origin

The term alt.space was first used in the early 1980s to describe companies that were making serious efforts to reach outer space without cooperation with NASA, other governmental agencies, or their contractors. Near the end of the 1990s, a dramatic increase in companies engaging in this process led to the common usage of the phrase "new space companies"; "NewSpace" and "entrepreneurial space" are now the most commonly used terms, though "alt.space" is still occasionally found.

Definition

NewSpace is a term that has had some variation in meaning since "supplanting the geekier 'alt.space' moniker" after about 2006.