What is an Orbital Position?

There are three primary orbits that worth mentioning. A Polar Orbit, located between 400-500km to the Earth, is commonly used for military and Earth observation missions (such as the International Space Station). Elliptical Orbits, located around 700km to the Earth, were notably used by the Space Shuttle missions. Finally, the Geosynchronous Orbit, located at 36000km to the Earth, is the most valued orbit for telecommunication satellites since satellites in that single ring above the equator appear to be stationary and hence offer continuous operation in the area of visibility.

Therefore, there are only a limited number of available slots in that single ring, and only sovereign countries can apply for an orbital position.