Geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) is a highly eccentric trajectory where the perigee is just above the Earth's atmosphere and the apogee reaches the geostationary altitude of about 35,786 kilometers. Launch vehicles drop communications and weather satellites into this orbit. The satellite then fires its own apogee kick motor to circularize the orbit and match Earth's rotation.
Heard on the job
The Falcon 9 second stage will insert the payload into GTO, and the satellite will handle the circularization burn from there.