researched, extracted and summarized by Minimax-m3, Jul 1st 2026
A sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) is a near-polar low-Earth orbit (typically 600โ800 km up, at an inclination of about 98ยฐ) that is carefully tuned so the satellite crosses any given point on Earth at the same local solar time every day โ for example, always at about 10:30 in the morning. The orbit is "in sync" with the Sun, not with the Earth's rotation.