geostationary orbit

American  

[jee-oh-stay-shuh-ner-ee awr-bit] / ˌdʒi oʊˈsteɪ ʃəˌnɛr i ˈɔr bɪt /

noun

plural

geostationary orbits

1. Astronomy. the path of a body orbiting the earth, such as a satellite, that remains in the same constant position relative to the earth's surface.

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geostationary orbit Scientific  

/ jē′ō-stā′shə-nĕr′ē /

1. A circular orbit positioned approximately 35,900 km (22,258 mi) above Earth's equator and having a period of the same duration and direction as the rotation of the Earth. An object in this orbit will appear stationary relative to the rotating Earth. Communications and weather satellites are usually placed in a geostationary orbit.

2. See also synchronous orbit

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Other Word Forms

• geostationary-orbit
  adjective

Example Sentences

They are joined by rising companies like Astranis, which builds geostationary orbit satellites, and Relativity Space, which uses 3-D printers to make commercial rockets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026

Most communications satellites at the time rested in a geostationary orbit, which matched the Earth’s rotation, fixing each craft in place from the perspective of someone on the ground.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 24, 2023

As opposed to low-Earth orbit, which hosts things like the International Space Station, the EchoStar-7 was in the higher geostationary orbit, following the line of Earth’s Equator in a circle.

From Washington Times • Oct. 3, 2023

The Ministry of Defense already has access to communication satellites in geostationary orbit, but use of Starlink technology, operated by Musk's SpaceX, would add a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit, the Yomiuri said.

From Reuters • Jun. 25, 2023

NASA, meanwhile, canceled development of its troubled GeoCarb mission, designed to track CO2 levels from geostationary orbit.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 7, 2022