Abstract: In a telecommunications satellite system operating with quasi-stationary orbits and comprising a plurality of earth satellites having elliptical orbits appearing at nearly the same location in space in cyclical succession and relieving one another in radio operation, a different range of the respective satellites to be engaged and disengaged from the ground stations is guaranteed. This enables an additional transit time for storage of data transmitted about the switching time from one satellite to another. To this end, the apogee of the orbital ellipse is shifted to such a degree from the Northern-most or, respectively, Southern-most orbital point against the direction of flight of the respective satellite that an adequate signal repetition of the bits to be transmitted occurs about the switching time. In a specific system comprising three satellites on elliptical orbits having an eccentricity of 0.

Abstract: A telecommunication satellite system in which its activated satellites are placed in geostationary positional loops and consist of asynchronously orbiting satellites of identical telecommunication functions on circular or elliptical paths which are inclined relative to the equitorial plane with all of the satellites moving on the same path relative to the view of a fixed earth station and where the apparent path in the form of loops intersect or contacts at equal intervals around the sphere as shown in FIG. 1. The points of intersection and of contact KP of the apparent path are simultaneously met by two satellites with one on each of the two orbit branches. At the time of the smallest spacing between the two satellites the telecommunication pay-load of the satellite leaving the geostationary loop is inactivated and the other satellite simultaneously entering the geostationary loop is activated by a control center.