What is a LEO satellite?

The acronym LEO stands for 'Low Earth Orbit.' Satellites in LEO operate at altitudes generally between 100 and 1,200 miles above the Earth's surface. Because they are relatively close to Earth, they complete an orbit very quickly, often in just about 90 to 120 minutes. Most amateur radio satellites are placed in low Earth orbit because it requires less launch energy and allows amateurs to communicate using relatively low transmit power and simple antennas. Distractors like 'low energy operation' are completely made-up definitions to confuse beginners, while highly elliptical or sun-synchronous orbits describe different specific orbital paths, not the basic altitude-based LEO classification.