What Does Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Mean?

Low earth orbit (LEO) is a designation for communication satellites whose locus extends from approximately 300 miles above the earth’s surface up to an altitude of 1,491 miles. A non-terrestrial network (NTN) of LEO satellites is called a constellation or swarm.

Techopedia Explains Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

A network of LEO satellite nodes can provide continuous coverage by communicating with Earth-bound transmission stations as the satellites circle the Earth. Their proximity to the planet’s surface results in lower latency and the ability to support services that require faster throughput than traditional satellite internet.