Low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites fly at different heights above Earth and can vary in the amount of time they are visible to a ground station (GS) to transferring data to and from the GS. For a typical LEO satellite in orbit 600 km above Earth, visibility to a GS may be less than 20 minutes per orbit, limiting the amount of data that can be exchanged. By recruiting a geosynchronous-Earth-orbit (GEO) satellite as part of the overall data link, however, it can be possible to increase the available LEO satellite data-transmission time (and amount of data)...
Register or Sign in below to download the full article in .PDF format, including high-resolution graphics and schematics when applicable.