📘 Definition
Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) spans altitudes from approximately 2,000 km to just below the geostationary belt at 35,786 km. Navigation constellations dominate MEO: GPS (20,200 km), Galileo (23,222 km), GLONASS (19,100 km), and BeiDou (21,528 km). The higher altitude provides each satellite with a larger ground footprint, so fewer satellites are needed for global coverage than in LEO. Orbital periods range from about 2 to 24 hours.
2,000–35,786 km
Altitude Range
2–24 hours
Orbital Period
Navigation (GPS, Galileo)
Key Use
248
Objects Tracked
Understanding MEO
Navigation Constellations
The four global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) all operate in MEO at semi-synchronous orbits (12 hour period). At this altitude, each satellite can see roughly a third of Earth's surface, meaning a constellation of 24–30 satellites provides continuous global coverage.