geostationary

[ jee-oh-stey-shuh-ner-ee ]

adjective

1. of or relating to a satellite traveling in an orbit 22,300 miles (35,900 km) above the earth's equator: at this altitude, the satellite's period of rotation, 24 hours, matches the earth's and the satellite always remains in the same spot over the earth:

   geostationary orbit.

geostationary

/ ˌdʒiːəʊˈsteɪʃənərɪ /

adjective

1. (of a satellite) in a circular equatorial orbit in which it circles the earth once per sidereal day so that it appears stationary in relation to the earth's surface Alsogeosynchronous

Word History and Origins

Origin of geostationary¹

First recorded in 1960–65; geo- + stationary

Example Sentences

“A satellite could dock or connect with a geostationary satellite and then take it to the disposal orbit and release it,” says McCarthy.

From Science News For Students

Typical satellite internet services place just a few satellites in very high orbits, called geostationary orbits.

From MIT Technology Review

Instead, the early customers are more likely to include the US military, which when operating in remote areas often relies on geostationary satellites plagued by congested service and high latency.

From MIT Technology Review

First of all, the station requires a certain attitude to maintain signal with geostationary satellites and talk to Mission Control on the ground.

From Ars Technica

Both are much lower than the 35,000km geostationary orbits used by traditional satellite-broadband networks, which should result in lower latency and a better experience for Internet users.

From Ars Technica