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Low Earth Orbiting Satellites
Satellites in a sunsynchronous orbit circle the earth from pole-to-pole. Satellites in
this orbit view all regions of the earth in a single day and are good for global weather
studies. Sunsynchronous orbits are also referred to as polar orbits as the polar regions are
frequently viewed, for example 14 times a day. They are also called Low Earth Orbiting
(LEO) satellites because they orbit the Earth at a much lower altitude than the GEO
satellites. Here is a recent composite view of the
south polar region.
In the tropical regions a LEO satellite flies by a particular region of the earth twice a
day -- for example once in the afternoon and once in the evening.
NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
typically maintains two polar orbiting satellites. One views the United States at
approximately 2 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time and the second views regions of the US around 10
a.m. and 10 p.m. local time.
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