🔍 Key Concepts

• Typical GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite orbits are in medium Earth orbit (MEO), not low Earth orbit (LEO) or geostationary orbit • The approximate altitude of GPS satellites is often given in nautical miles, statute miles, or kilometers—be clear which unit you’re thinking of • Compare GPS altitude to the International Space Station (ISS)/typical LEO and to geostationary satellites to bracket the correct range

💭 Think About

• Which of the listed altitudes looks most like low Earth orbit (a few hundred miles up), and which looks like very high or geostationary orbit (around 22,000–26,000 miles)? • GPS is designed so that a small number of satellites can see large portions of the Earth at once. Would that work better at just a few hundred miles up, or much higher? • Try recalling or estimating the GPS altitude in kilometers (around 20,000 km). Which choice in miles is closest to that?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify and mentally eliminate the option that clearly matches low Earth orbit (similar to ISS altitude). • Identify and mentally eliminate the option that is close to geostationary orbit height (about 22,000–26,000 miles). • From the remaining middle-range values, choose the one that best matches ~20,000 km (about 10,000–13,000 miles) for GPS MEO altitude.