footprint: The area of ground covered by a communications satellite.
geocentric orbit: An orbit that circles around the Earth.
geostationary orbit: An orbit in which the satellite is traveling at the same speed that the Earth is rotating, making the satellite appear to be standing still.
geosynchronous orbit: See geostationary orbit.
HEO: See high Earth orbit.
HSF: An acronym standing for human space flight.
heliocentric orbit: An orbit that circles around the sun.
high Earth orbit: An orbit more than 22240 miles from the surface of the Earth.
inclination: A variable which explains the angle of a satellite's orbit.
international designator: An international name for a satellite which consists of the launch year, a three-digit number, and up to three letters.
International Space Station (ISS): A space station built and used by an international community. ISS is the largest manned space station ever built.
iridium satellite: Part of a communications system for satellite phones.
ISRO: "Indian Space Research Organization;" the national space agency based in Bangalore, India.
ISS: See International Space Station.
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