GTO
Science & Engineering abbreviation · Astronomy & Space
| Stands for | Geosynchronous transfer orbit |
|---|---|
| Categories | Science & Engineering |
GTO stands for Geosynchronous transfer orbit, an astronomy & Space abbreviation.
Elliptical orbit with a low point near Earth and a high point near 35,786 kilometers, used to move satellites from launch toward geostationary orbit. Rockets drop satellites in GTO, and the satellites' own engines then raise and circularize the orbit.
Example: The rocket released the communications satellite into a supersynchronous GTO to save the satellite's fuel.
Usage notes
Launch sites near the equator, such as Kourou in French Guiana, need less energy to reach GTO because they start with a lower orbital inclination. Rocket payload capacity is often quoted separately for LEO and GTO. Electric propulsion can take months to circularize an orbit from GTO.
Related abbreviations
More astronomy & Space abbreviations
- ET – Extraterrestrial
- EVA – Extravehicular activity
- FAST – Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope
- FRB – Fast radio burst
- GEO – Geostationary orbit
- GRB – Gamma-ray burst
- H0 – Hubble constant
- HEO – Highly elliptical orbit
- HR diagram – Hertzsprung-Russell diagram
- HST – Hubble Space Telescope
- HZ – Habitable zone
- IAU – International Astronomical Union