Clarke orbit
More commonly known as
geosynchronous orbits and
geostationary orbits, these were first popularised by science fiction author
Arthur C. Clarke in
1945 as useful orbits for
communications satellites,
Clarke orbits are 35,790 kilometers above the
Earth and have a
period of 24 hours, exactly matching the
rotation of the Earth. Seen from the surface of the Earth, a satellite in such an orbit appears motionless, thus an
antenna can point in a fixed direction and maintain a link with the satellite. The first communications satellite placed in a Clarke orbit was
Syncom 2, launched in
1963. Clarke orbits have been in common use ever since.
See also