Semi-synchronous orbit

A semi-synchronous orbit is an orbit with a period equal to half the average rotational period of the body being orbited, and in the same direction as that body's rotation.

For Earth, a semi-synchronous orbit is considered a medium Earth orbit, with a period of just under 12 hours. For circular Earth orbits, the altitude is approximately 20,200 kilometres (12,600 mi).^[1]^[2]

Semi-synchronous orbits are typical for GPS satellites.

References

^ NASA Technical Standard 8719.14 (draft) (Report). NASA Orbital Debris Program Office. 8 Aug 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-08-23.
^ "Catalog of Earth Satellite Orbits". 6 Sep 2012.

Gravitational orbits

Types

General	Box Capture Circular Elliptical / Highly elliptical Escape Horseshoe Hyperbolic trajectory Inclined / Non-inclined Kepler Lagrange point Osculating Parabolic trajectory Parking Prograde / Retrograde Synchronous semi sub Transfer orbit
Geocentric	Geosynchronous Geostationary Geostationary transfer Graveyard High Earth Low Earth Medium Earth Molniya Near-equatorial Orbit of the Moon Polar Sun-synchronous Tundra
About other points	Mars Areocentric Areosynchronous Areostationary Lagrange points Distant retrograde Halo Lissajous Lunar Sun Heliocentric Earth's orbit Mars cycler Heliosynchronous Other Lunar cycler

Parameters

Shape Size	$e$ Eccentricity $a$ Semi-major axis $b$ Semi-minor axis $Q$ , $q$ Apsides
Orientation	$i$ Inclination $Ω$ Longitude of the ascending node $ω$ Argument of periapsis $ϖ$ Longitude of the periapsis
Position	$M$ Mean anomaly $ν$ , $θ$ , $f$ True anomaly $E$ Eccentric anomaly $L$ Mean longitude $l$ True longitude
Variation	$T$ Orbital period $n$ Mean motion $v$ Orbital speed $t 0$ Epoch

Maneuvers

Orbital
mechanics

List of orbits

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See also

References