GTO meaning in Academic & Science ?

A geosynchronous transfer orbit or geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) is a type of geocentric orbit. Satellites which are destined for geosynchronous (GSO) or geostationary orbit (GEO) are (almost) always put into a GTO as an intermediate step for reaching their final orbit.

A GTO is highly elliptic. Its perigee (closest point to Earth) is typically as high as low Earth orbit (LEO), while its apogee (furthest point from Earth) is as high as geostationary (or equally, a geosynchronous) orbit. That makes it a Hohmann transfer orbit between LEO and GSO.

A satellite destined for a GSO is usually placed into a GTO by its launch vehicle using the launch vehicle's high-thrust engines first, then the satellite moves from GTO into GSO using its own (usually very efficient, but low-thrust) engines.

Manufacturers of launch vehicles often advertise the amount of payload the vehicle can put into GTO.