Why do satallites have to stay in the equotorial plane?

Answer 1

Staying at the "same point" (i.e., above the same location on Earth) is only

important for a Geosynchronous satellite, which must occupy a very high orbit.

Most satellites (and the International Space Station) are in lower orbits, which

means they orbit the Earth faster than it rotates, so they don't stay in the

same place.

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Answer #1:

Now to deal with the question . . .

If the satellite is going to be used by non-technical people with little 'dishes'

on the corner of their house or garage, it's important that they not need to

move their dish to follow the satellite across the sky. If people couldn't "set

it and forget it", there would be no Dish network or Direct TV or any of the

others, because very few customers would be willing to do what it takes to

keep their dish tracking the satellite. Sure it could be automated, with a

motorized mechanism that constantly steers the dish to follow the satellite.

But that would cost 20 times what those dinky dishes cost now, and again,

the operators would not "have a business". The only way that this whole

scheme of satellite-direct-to-the-home can work is to make the satellite

motionless in the sky. The installer comes to your house, mounts the dish,

'finds' the satellite, points the dish in that direction, and locks it permanently

in that position. That's the only way the business model can work.

Answer 2

For a geostationary orbit, the distance from Earth is calculated in such a way that the satellite takes one day (23h56m, to be precise) to go once around Earth. Thus, the satellite moves together with Earth's rotation; from the viewpoint of somebody standing on Earth, the satellite is always in the same direction.

For a geostationary orbit, the distance from Earth is calculated in such a way that the satellite takes one day (23h56m, to be precise) to go once around Earth. Thus, the satellite moves together with Earth's rotation; from the viewpoint of somebody standing on Earth, the satellite is always in the same direction.

For a geostationary orbit, the distance from Earth is calculated in such a way that the satellite takes one day (23h56m, to be precise) to go once around Earth. Thus, the satellite moves together with Earth's rotation; from the viewpoint of somebody standing on Earth, the satellite is always in the same direction.

For a geostationary orbit, the distance from Earth is calculated in such a way that the satellite takes one day (23h56m, to be precise) to go once around Earth. Thus, the satellite moves together with Earth's rotation; from the viewpoint of somebody standing on Earth, the satellite is always in the same direction.

Answer 3

they don't. surveillance satellites almost all have polar orbits, GPS satellites have a variety of orbits, most satellites follow orbits that were easiest and cheapest to put them in from launch site.

Answer 4

For a geostationary orbit, the distance from Earth is calculated in such a way that the satellite takes one day (23h56m, to be precise) to go once around Earth. Thus, the satellite moves together with Earth's rotation; from the viewpoint of somebody standing on Earth, the satellite is always in the same direction.