Geostationary transfer orbit

Transfer orbit used to reach geosynchronous or geostationary orbit An example of an orbit raise maneuver: a transition from GTO to GEO. EchoStar XVII's trajectory · Earth. In space mission design, a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) or geosynchronous transfer orbit is a highly elliptical type of geocentric orbit, usually with a perigee as low as low Earth orbit (LEO) and an apogee as high as geostationary orbit (GEO). Satellites that are destined for geosynchronous orbit (GSO) or GEO are often put into a GTO as an intermediate step for reaching their final orbit. Manufacturers of launch vehicles often advertise the amount of payload the vehicle can put into GTO. Background Geostationary and geosynchronous orbits are very desirable for many communication and Earth observation satellites. However, the delta-v, and therefore financial, cost to send a spacecraft to such orbits is very high due to their high orbital radius. A GTO is an intermediary orbit used to make this process more efficient. Satellite operators often use a high-thrust, low-efficiency launch vehicle to put their satellite into GTO, and then, after detaching the launch vehicle, use low-thrust, high-efficiency thrust