What do geostationary satellites do?

Geostationary satellites are objects (usually machines) that orbit the Earth at exactly the same velocity as the rotation of the Earth (strictly, the orbital period of the satellite is equal to the rotational period of the Earth). This means they stay above the same point on Earth at all times throughout it's orbit. These are used for things like communication, monitoring the weather, and navigation as they're visible to a large area of the Earth.

BA
Answered by Bill A. Physics tutor

3885 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

what is a half life of a substance and how can you work it out.


A mobile phone falls to the floor. The glass screen shatters while the aluminium frame remains intact. Explain why this happens in terms of the properties of glass and aluminium.


What does the half life of radioactive substance mean?


What is the difference between a scalar and a vector quantity?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning