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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/aero-molniya-far-north

What is a Molniya orbit useful for?

Communications in the far north or south, using a long, stretched ellipse.

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  1. Communications in the far north or south ✔
  2. Keeping a telescope beyond the Moon
  3. Staying over the equator all day

Why: A Molniya orbit is a very stretched ellipse. The satellite moves slowly at its far end and spends about two thirds of its time over one hemisphere, so it can serve places too far north for geostationary satellites.

Huh, didn't know that: A Molniya orbit takes 12 hours and repeats the same ground path every 24 hours.

The dad joke
Why did the Molniya satellite love the north? It was a cool place to hang out.
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References

Answer: Communications in the far north or south. A Molniya orbit is a very stretched ellipse. The satellite moves slowly at its far end and spends about two thirds of its time over one hemisphere, so it can serve places too far north for geostationary satellites.

  1. NASA Earth Observatory, Catalog of Earth Satellite Orbits science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/catalog-of-earth-satellite-orbits
    is useful for communications in the far north or south
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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