At what height above the WGS 84 ellipsoid are NAVSTAR GPS satellites orbiting?

NAVSTAR GPS satellites are positioned in medium Earth orbit (MEO), specifically at approximately 20,200 kilometers above the WGS 84 ellipsoid. This altitude allows them to maintain a suitable balance between coverage area, signal propagation delay, and orbital stability. The choice of this altitude ensures that the satellites can provide continuous global coverage, allowing receivers on the ground to access signals from multiple satellites at any time for accurate positioning.

The majority of the other options refer to different orbit types or altitudes: for instance, geostationary satellites typically orbit at around 36,000 kilometers, which allows them to remain fixed over a specific point on the Earth's surface, but this is not applicable for GPS satellites that require a dynamic orbit to function effectively. The lower altitudes provided in other choices simply do not correspond to the operational parameters of GPS satellites, which are specifically designed to operate efficiently within the medium Earth orbit range at around 20,200 kilometers.