Possible Alternative to Geostationary Earth Orbit

The geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) is extensively used in the field of satellite telecommunications and, limited to applications at low ground spatial resolution, in the remote sensing field. Considerable costs are associated with the use of the GEO because of the large range of propellant needed to maintain a satellite within its own box. The need of this propellant, which limits the duration of the operational life of a satellite, is mainly devoted to correct the out-of-plane perturbative effects, as the orbital plane is kept in quasistationary condition by performing periodic corrective maneuvers during the entire mission. The feasibility of linking a satellite located in orbit A using a single ground antenna has been investigated, taking into account the cases of both mobile and fixed antennas.