Molniya orbit

Type of high-latitude satellite orbit

A Molniya orbit (Russian: Молния, IPA: [ˈmoɫnʲɪjə] , "Lightning") is a type of satellite orbit designed to provide communications and remote sensing coverage over high latitudes. It is a highly elliptical orbit with an inclination of 63.4 degrees, an argument of perigee of 270 degrees, and an orbital period of about half a sidereal day. The name comes from the Molniya satellites, a series of Soviet/Russian civilian and military communications satellites that have used this type of orbit since the mid-1960s.

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