What is the approximate footprint diameter of Iridium spot beams?

Get ready for the FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL) exam. Study with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each with hints and detailed explanations. Prepare effectively for your licensing test!

Multiple Choice

What is the approximate footprint diameter of Iridium spot beams?

Iridium spot beams are focused, narrow beams from low Earth orbit satellites that illuminate a relatively small area on the Earth’s surface. Because the satellites fly about 480 miles up, a beam with a modest cone angle translates into a footprint on the ground of only a few dozen miles across. In practical terms, this results in a footprint roughly 30 miles in diameter. That’s why the best estimate for the footprint diameter of Iridium spot beams is about 30 miles. The other diameters are either too small or too large for the typical Iridium spot-beam footprint.

Iridium spot beams are focused, narrow beams from low Earth orbit satellites that illuminate a relatively small area on the Earth’s surface. Because the satellites fly about 480 miles up, a beam with a modest cone angle translates into a footprint on the ground of only a few dozen miles across. In practical terms, this results in a footprint roughly 30 miles in diameter. That’s why the best estimate for the footprint diameter of Iridium spot beams is about 30 miles. The other diameters are either too small or too large for the typical Iridium spot-beam footprint.

More practice questions