Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) satellites operate at altitudes between 500-2000 km, much lower than traditional geosynchronous satellites. They are used for telecommunications, data transmission, and satellite phone services to areas where fiber optic cables are not viable. Several companies, including SpaceX and Amazon, are launching large LEO satellite constellations to provide global high-speed internet access. LEO satellites have lower latency than geosynchronous satellites but shorter lifespans, and their smaller coverage areas require more satellites. While disruptive, LEO systems are currently at the peak of inflated expectations as the technology is still developing.

1. Low-Earth-Orbit Satellite Systems (LEO)
YBO HOSTENS
DIMAS COURTENS
ROBBE FRANÇOIS

2. What is a LEO Satellite?
 Satellite that operates from a height of 500 km to 2000 km
 LEO 500-2000 km <-> traditional GEO satellite 36000 km
 They move at the speed of the rotation of the Earth which is at a speed of
27000 km/h
 They float motionless above a fixed point

3. Purpose of LEO Satellites?
 They are used for:
 Telecommunication
 Data communication (email, video conferencing, paging…)
 Aquiring satellite trlephone service in areas where otherwise it would be to
costly
 Less then 4 billion people use internet -> with LEO satellite they want to
acheive a 100% internet usage
 Worldwide surveillance and imaging
 …

4. How do companies use it? (examples)
 Elon Musk his plan: satellites will provide a high-speed internet service to
places where fiber-optic cables are not ecomonically viable. (Africa, Central
Asia…)
Musk already launched 60 satellites into space
 Jeff Bezos his plan: The plan is called project Kuiper. Bezos wants to put
3236 satellites in space, joining the race to provide worldwide internet
access
 Newtec its plan (EU): They want to use the LEO
satellites for 5G use

5. Why are LEO Satellites good?
 It’s the satellite with the shortest distance -> less time needed to send and
return data (=latency)
 Signals travel faster with Leo Satellites than with fiber-optic cables
(How much faster: LEO satellite 32 milliseconds latency <-> high orbit
systems 600 milliseconds)
 LEO satellites can rival with fastest ground-based networks
 Low launch costs
 Small path loss because of the short distance to Earth

6. Disadvantages of LEO satellites
 The lifespan is about 5 years, while the lifespan of GEO satellites is about
10 years
 Short call interuptions depending on the location
 Less distance to Earth -> covers less region of Earth
 Twice the speed of GEO satellites
 More atmospheric effects, which cause gradual orbital disorienation of the
satellites

7. Are LEO satellites disruptive?
 Small can potentially lead to a disruptive innovation but they only pose a
small threat to well established stakeholders. They will probably never
replace the traditional GEO satellites, so it will probably not be a disruptive
innovation.
 It is important to know that you can only know if it’s a disruptive
innovation until it’s happened

8. Peak of inflated expectations (1)

9. Peak of inflated expectations (2)
 Gartner says that LEO satellites are at the peak of inflated expectations. We
also think that this is the case. The topic has reached its peak and there are
already some LEO satellite in space.
There are some succes stories, there are also unsuccesfull stories. It is
definetely at the stage of peak of inflated expectations.

10. Biography
 Advantages of LEO Orbit | disadvantages of LEO Orbit. (n.d.). Retrieved December 6, 2019, from https://www.rfwireless-
world.com/Terminology/Advantages-and-Disadvantages-of-LEO-orbit.html

Boyle, A. B. (2019, April 4). Amazon to offer broadband access from orbit with 3,236-satellite ‘Project Kuiper’ constellation. Retrieved
December 6, 2019, from https://www.geekwire.com/2019/amazon-project-kuiper-broadband-satellite/

Chakraborty, S. C. (n.d.). Comparison between GEO Satellites & LEO satellites. Retrieved December 6, 2019, from
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Comparison-between-GEO-Satellites-LEO-satellites_fig1_258650583

Cooper, T. C. (2019, August 24). Bezos and Musk’s satellite internet could save Americans $30B a year. Retrieved December 6, 2019, from
https://thenextweb.com/podium/2019/08/24/bezos-and-musks-satellite-internet-could-save-americans-30b-a-year/

Newtec. (2019, May 7). NEWTEC ENABLES WORLD’S FIRST 5G OVER LEO SATELLITE DEMO. Retrieved December 6, 2019, from
https://www.newtec.eu/article/release/newtec-enables-worlds-first-5g-over-leo-satellite-demo

Ritchie, G. R. (2019, August 9). Why Low-Earth Orbit Satellites Are the New Space Race. Retrieved December 6, 2019, from
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-09/why-low-earth-orbit-satellites-are-the-new-space-race-quicktake

Rutkowski, R. R. (2019, June 29). 5 FAQs About Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellite Constellations. Retrieved December 6, 2019, from
https://blog.bliley.com/5-faq-answers-new-space-leo-satellite-constellations

Techopedia, & Techopedia. (n.d.). Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Retrieved December 6, 2019, from
https://www.techopedia.com/definition/8044/low-earth-orbit-leo