Polar-Orbiting Satellite

A polar-orbiting satellite is in a low altitude orbit (~700-800 km) around the North and South Poles. The Earth rotates under the satellite as it orbits, so each time the satellite makes a new pass over Earth, it observes a different area of the Earth’s surface. Polar-orbiting satellites are used for a variety of applications, including air quality, land cover, water quality, and vegetation studies. Polar-orbiting satellites are also called sun-synchronous satellites. Examples: Aqua, SNPP, Terra.