What conditions must be satisfied in order for a satellite to have a geosynchronous orbit?
A17. In an ideal geosynchronous orbit, a satellite moves around the earth in the equatorial plane so that the period of revolution of the satellite is exactly equal to the period of the rotation of the earth about its own axis. Hence, to an observer on the earth, the satellite appears to be stationary. In the real world, the gravitational forces of the sun and moon tend to perturb the orbit, causing the satellite to drift latitudinally and longitudinally relative to the spacecrafts subsatellite point. If a line is drawn from the spacecraft to the center of the earth, the point where the line intersects the earths surface is the subsatellite point.
