📘 Definition
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is defined as an orbit with an altitude between approximately 200 km and 2,000 km above Earth's surface. Orbital periods range from about 90 to 127 minutes. LEO is the most populated orbital regime, home to the ISS (420 km), Starlink (480–550 km), and most Earth observation satellites. The proximity to Earth provides low communication latency and high imaging resolution, but satellites experience atmospheric drag requiring periodic orbit maintenance. Satellites below about 600 km will naturally deorbit within 25 years due to drag.
200–2,000 km
Altitude Range
90–127 min
Orbital Period
15,645
Objects Tracked
5–40 ms
Signal Latency
Understanding LEO
Why LEO Dominates
LEO is the cheapest orbit to reach — requiring approximately 9.4 km/s of delta-v from Earth's surface — and provides the best balance of coverage, latency, and imaging resolution. This is why mega-constellations like Starlink and Amazon Leo operate here.
Atmospheric Drag
Below about 600 km, residual atmospheric particles create drag that gradually lowers a satellite's orbit. Without periodic reboosts, a satellite at 400 km altitude will re-enter within roughly 1–2 years. This natural decay is actually beneficial for space debris mitigation — debris in low LEO cleans itself up.