Geostationary satellite completes its one revolution around the earth

Geostationary satellite completes its one revolution around the earth in

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90 minutes

24 hours

30 days

365 days

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This question was previously asked in

UPSC CAPF – 2013

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B) 24 hours

A geostationary satellite orbits the Earth at a specific altitude (approximately 35,786 kilometers above the equator) and follows the Earth’s rotation. For a satellite to appear stationary from a point on the Earth’s surface, its orbital period must be exactly equal to the Earth’s sidereal rotation period, which is about 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds. For practical purposes and standard options, this is typically rounded to 24 hours. This synchronization allows the satellite to remain over the same geographic location on the equator.

Geostationary satellites are crucial for communication (television, internet), weather monitoring, and navigation (though GPS uses MEO satellites). Their fixed position relative to the ground simplifies the design of ground antennas, which do not need to track the satellite. Geostationary orbits are a specific type of geosynchronous orbit, which has a period equal to the Earth’s rotation period but may not necessarily be inclined zero degrees to the equator.

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