## 2 Orbit Classification  
Prior to discussing weather satellites, it is essential to understand their operational altitudes and orbital classifications. For this purpose, the following five types of planetary orbits are reviewed:  
1. High Altitude Platforms (HAPs), including the stratospheric layer (~15-50 km altitude)
2. Low Earth Orbit (LEO)--approximately 300 to 2000 km altitude
3. Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)--approximately 4000 to 8000 km altitude
4. Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO)--orbiting along the Earth's equatorial plane at ~35,786 km altitude * Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO)--elliptical orbits with variable perigee and apogee, often used for extended regional coverage.  
Placing weather monitoring instruments in the stratosphere, approximately 15 to 50 km above ground level, offers several advantages. Since most weather phenomena occur in the lower troposphere (0-12 km), positioning instruments on a high-altitude platform (HAP) in the stratosphere allows for effective monitoring of local weather conditions over the surface area below. HAPs operating at altitudes between 17 and 24 km, where wind velocities are minimal, can maintain a stable position using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology combined with a 360\({}^{\circ}\) low-thrust propulsion system onboard. This setup leverages the low-pressure conditions of the stratosphere. Additionally, HAPs provide near-zero latency in radio transmissions between the platform and ground stations [12, 13].  
Other weather monitoring instruments, such as satellites classified as operating at LEO, maintain the lowest possible delay in a radio transmission path between a satellite and any ground station. These satellites operate at altitudes ranging from 300 km to 2000 km, positioned below the first Van Allen radiation belt. Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites function at altitudes between 4000 km and 8000 km and inherently experience longer signal delay times compared to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites have a zero-inclination angle, meaning their angular velocity matches the rotation rate of the Earth they orbit. This synchronization causes the satellite to appear stationary from the ground--hence the term 'Geostationary'. This orbit is referred to as the equatorial plane or Clarke orbit, but it does not cover the polar regions of the Earth. The perigee and apogee of satellites in such orbits vary depending on the planet being orbited. The main advantage of maintaining this orbit is the larger area coverage due to its higher altitude, while the obvious drawback is the increased communication delay times. Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) satellites revolve around the planet located at one of the elliptical orbit's focal points [14]. Satellite constellations are common at the LEO or MEO level, as the area coverage provided by a single satellite is pretty small due to its low altitude. For this reason, a group of satellites is organized to maintain inter-connections along with connections with ground stations or user agents, to achieve larger area coverage. In contrast, a GEO use case is simpler by comparison; one satellite is enough to achieve large surface coverage of the Earth, up to 42% of the planet's surface, except the polar regions.