If 48 satellites is the bare minimum for continuous LEO coverage at 1,000 km, what number suggests wider coverage or redundancy at that altitude?

114 or more

When operating communication systems within the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) band at an altitude around 1,000 kilometers, if 48 satellites represent the figure for the bare minimum required for continuous coverage, increasing that number is necessary when the design goal shifts toward robustness. For systems aiming to ensure wider coverage areas or provide a deeper layer of signal redundancy—meaning multiple satellites can service a location simultaneously or offer substantial overlap for handoffs—the required constellation size can easily escalate to 114 satellites or more, even maintaining that same 1,000-kilometer altitude band. This demonstrates how redundancy exponentially increases the hardware demands when working with lower orbits compared to the minimal requirements of GEO.