Patent ID: 6457678
Filing Date: 2002-10-01
Classification: H04B

Abstract:
An array of satellites, comprising:an array of satellites in orbit around the earth, each of said satellites including communication equipment thereon, said communications equipment on each of said satellites communicating with corresponding communications equipment on the earth, said array including a plurality of satellites, each of said satellites being in an elliptical orbit with a common ground track to other satellites, said satellites being sun synchronous relative to the earth and wherein said elliptical orbit is tilted to have an axis that is oriented within 60 degrees of equatorial axis, and said elliptical orbit is arranged such that the earth is at one focus of the ellipse, and a lowest part of the orbit passes between two portions of the Van Allen radiation belt, and a highest portion of the ellipse passes between two portions of the Van Allen radiation belt, wherein said lowest part of said orbit is between 1400 kilometers and 9500 kilometers, and the highest part of said orbit is between 11,000 kilometers and 25,000 kilometers.