Polar Orbiting Satellites

  • Orbit in a nearly N-S manner around the globe
  • Nearly pass over the poles
  • scan swath is about 300 km wide
  • 1 orbit takes about 120 minutes

 

  • Q:  What are the advantages of the polar orbiting satellites?  ANSWER

  • Q:  What are the disadvantages of the polar orbiting satellites?  ANSWER

Check out the current satellite positions at:

http://science.nasa.gov/realtime/JTrack/Spacecraft.html