Few aspects of the era of active exploration of outer space have had such a strong impact on the daily life of mankind, as the concept of a geostationary orbit, closely associated with the invention of the communications satellite. These two factors turned out to be a real technological and scientific breakthrough, which gave a tremendous impetus to the development not only of telecommunication technologies, but also of science as a whole, which allowed bringing people's lives to a whole new level.
This made it possible to cover the entire planet with a thick web of a stable radio signal and connect even the most distant points of the planet in a way that until recently had been the subject of dreams of scientists and a topic for science fiction writers. Today you can freely talk on the phone with the polar explorers of Antarctica or instantly contact any computer on the surface of the globe via the Internet . And all this thanks to the geostationary orbit and communication satellites.
The geostationary orbit is a circular orbit that is located exactly above the equator of the planet. The geostationary orbit is unique in that the satellites located on it have an angular velocity of rotation around the Earth equal to the speed of rotation of the planet itself around its own axis, which allows them to constantly “soar” over the same point on the surface. This ensures the stability and exceptional quality of radio signals.
The geostationary orbit, being a kind of geosynchronous orbit and possessing unique characteristics, is widely used to place telecommunication, broadcasting, meteorological, research and other satellites. The height of the geostationary orbit is 35,785 kilometers above sea level. It is this precisely calculated height that ensures the synchronization of rotation with the planet. Artificial satellites located on the GSO rotate in the same direction as the globe. This is the only possible combination of parameters at which the effect of synchronization of satellite and planet motion is achieved.
The geostationary orbit has an alternative name - the Clark Belt, by whose name the lion's share of merit belongs to the development of the idea and the development of the concept of geostationary and geosynchronous orbits. In 1945, in his publication in the journal Wireless World, he determined the orbital characteristics of this narrow section of near-Earth space and proposed a discussion of the technical parameters necessary for the Earth-satellite communication system.
With the rapid development of telecommunication and space technologies, the geostationary orbit has become a unique strip of outer space with an irreplaceable and fundamentally limited resource. The extreme congestion of this area by various satellites has become a serious problem. According to experts, in the 21st century a fierce competitive economic and political confrontation is expected for a place in the geostationary orbit. International political agreements cannot solve this problem. A completely stalemate situation will arise. And in the next two decades, according to competent forecasts, the geostationary orbit as the most advantageous place for satellite systems will completely exhaust its resource.
One of the most likely solutions may be to build heavy multi-purpose platform stations in orbit. With modern technology, one such station can successfully replace dozens of satellites. These platforms will be more cost-effective than satellites and will serve as an information convergence of countries.