Difference between LEO, MEO and GEO

Parameter	LEO	MEO	GEO
Satellite Height	500-1500 km	5000-12000 km	35,800 km
Orbital Period	10-40 minutes	2-8 hours	24 hours
Number of Satellites	40-80	8-20	3
Satellite Life	Short	Long	Long
Number of Handoffs	High	Low	Least(none)
Gateway Cost	Very Expensive	Expensive	Cheap
Propagation Loss	Least	High	Highest

Note -

• HEO refers to highly elliptical orbits which have a visibility of about 12 hours.
• ICO or intermediate circular orbit is an example of MEO.
• GPS satellites are not in Geostationary orbits but instead, they orbit twice for every rotation of the earth at a height of 20, 000 km.
• Handheld terminals have low sending power are hence use LEO for mobile communication. LEO are also closest to the earth, have better signal strength and less time delay