lågbanor

Lågbanor, or low Earth orbit (LEO), is a region of space that extends from the Earth's surface up to an altitude of 2,000 kilometers. It is the most common type of orbit for satellites and spacecraft. Objects in LEO travel at very high speeds, approximately 7.8 kilometers per second, completing an orbit around the Earth in about 90 minutes. This rapid orbital period means that a satellite in LEO can circle the globe many times a day.

Satellites in LEO are close enough to Earth to have a relatively strong gravitational pull, which helps keep them in orbit. However, they are still high enough to be above the Earth's atmosphere, avoiding significant atmospheric drag. This altitude range is ideal for a variety of applications, including Earth observation, remote sensing, and the deployment of numerous communication and scientific satellites. The International Space Station (ISS) is a prime example of a human-made object operating in LEO.

Due to the proximity to Earth, communication with satellites in LEO can have relatively low latency, which is beneficial for certain applications. However, the coverage area for any single satellite in LEO is limited, requiring constellations of many satellites to provide continuous global coverage. This is a key consideration for satellite internet services and other communication networks. The density of objects in LEO has also become a growing concern, with space debris posing a risk to operational satellites and future missions.