A satellite in a west-to-east orbit at an altitude of 35 786 km (19 600 n mi) above the equator. At this altitude, it circles the axis of the earth once every 24 hours, making its speed in orbit synchronous with the earth's rotation. A geostationary orbit is geosynchronous, but it is also required to have zero inclination angle (orbital plane coincides with the earth's equatorial plane) and zero eccentricity (a perfectly circular orbit). Geostationary satellites (such as GOES, Meteosat, and GMS) remain essentially stationary over a given geographical point above the equator. See geosynchronous satellite.