In which orbit type are GLONASS satellites primarily operated?

In which orbit type are GLONASS satellites primarily operated?

• A. Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)
• B. Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
• C. Geostationary Orbit (GEO)
• D. Sun-synchronous Orbit (SSO)

Answer: (A)

GLONASS satellites operate in Medium Earth Orbit. This altitude, about 19,000 km above the Earth, provides a good balance between wide coverage and strong enough signals, allowing a manageable number of satellites to give global navigation coverage. The system uses multiple inclined planes (roughly 64.8 degrees) so receivers have several satellites visible from almost any location, despite the Earth’s rotation. If they were in Low Earth Orbit, many more satellites would be needed and ground tracks would change rapidly; if they were in Geostationary Orbit, a single satellite would stay fixed over a longitude and high-latitude areas would see poor coverage, while Sun-synchronous orbits are designed for imaging and do not supply the consistent global geometry needed for navigation. Hence, Medium Earth Orbit is the appropriate choice for GLONASS.

GLONASS satellites operate in Medium Earth Orbit. This altitude, about 19,000 km above the Earth, provides a good balance between wide coverage and strong enough signals, allowing a manageable number of satellites to give global navigation coverage. The system uses multiple inclined planes (roughly 64.8 degrees) so receivers have several satellites visible from almost any location, despite the Earth’s rotation. If they were in Low Earth Orbit, many more satellites would be needed and ground tracks would change rapidly; if they were in Geostationary Orbit, a single satellite would stay fixed over a longitude and high-latitude areas would see poor coverage, while Sun-synchronous orbits are designed for imaging and do not supply the consistent global geometry needed for navigation. Hence, Medium Earth Orbit is the appropriate choice for GLONASS.