Equatorial Orbit

An equatorial orbit is an Earth-centered satellite orbit whose orbital plane coincides with the Earth’s equatorial plane and therefore has an inclination of 0°.

A geostationary orbit is a special case of an equatorial orbit in which the satellite follows a circular orbit with an orbital period equal to the Earth’s rotation period, causing the satellite to appear fixed relative to a point on the Earth’s surface.

Equatorial orbits are widely used for communications satellites because they provide continuous coverage of fixed regions of the Earth with constant look angles from suitably located Earth stations.