MEO

Definition

MEO is medium Earth orbit, an orbital regime between low Earth orbit and geostationary orbit used by some satellite systems for communications and navigation.

Concept

MEO is a space systems term for satellites operating in medium Earth orbit. It exists between lower and higher orbital regimes and offers a different balance of latency, coverage, and constellation size. MEO systems often require careful orbital and coverage planning because satellites move relative to the Earth's surface.

Explainer

MEO, or medium Earth orbit, is an orbital regime between low Earth orbit and geostationary orbit. It works as a satellite operating band where spacecraft have intermediate altitude, which affects latency, coverage footprint, and constellation design. MEO is used in navigation systems, certain communications networks, and specialized space architectures.

Constraints include orbital motion, coverage continuity, constellation management, and the need to balance the number of satellites against service area and latency goals. Failure modes include coverage gaps, handover complexity, orbital maintenance issues, and route or timing errors when the system is not properly coordinated.

Tradeoffs involve more stable coverage than very low orbits versus higher latency than LEO, and fewer satellites than LEO constellations versus less uniform service geometry. MEO matters because it provides a distinct orbital compromise for systems that need global or regional coverage with different timing properties.