Karman Line: The boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space that lies approximately 62 miles above the surface of the earth.
launch-capable country: A country with the ability to produce and launch a satellite into space.
LEO: See low Earth orbit.
low Earth orbit: "LEO;" an orbit that is closer than 2,000 kilometers from Earth's surface like that of the International Space Station.
lunar orbit: An orbit circling around the Earth’s moon.
medium Earth orbit: An orbit between 1240 miles and 22240 miles from the surface of the Earth.
MEO: See medium Earth orbit.
multi-spectral imaging: A method for taking photographs of space which gathers light information from areas of the spectrum beyond what the human eye can recognize.
NASA: "National Aeronautics and Space Administration;" the agency within the U.S. government which oversees space exploration. Also see United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
natural satellite: A satellite that is not manmade, such as moons that circle around planets.
navigational satellites: Satellites which relay radio signals over time to provide information about location of a given sensor.
orbit: The route that an object takes around another object due to forces such as gravity.
About Us