Q3Satellite Communication
Question
Q.3. Describe the application of MEO satellite.
Answer
MEO satellites (orbital altitude ~2,000-35,786 km) are primarily used for global navigation satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, NavIC) and some regional communication/telephony systems, offering a balance between coverage area and signal latency.
Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites, orbiting at altitudes roughly between 2,000 km and just below the geostationary altitude (35,786 km), are primarily used for Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) — such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and India's NavIC — since a constellation of MEO satellites (typically at around 20,000 km altitude) provides good compromise between global coverage (fewer satellites needed than LEO) and moderate signal latency and ground-terminal power requirements. MEO satellites are also used for some regional mobile telephony and data communication systems, providing broader single-satellite coverage than LEO with lower latency than GEO.