What Is Approximately The Velocity Of A Satellite In Circular Leo Orbit Around The Earth

In space gravity supplies the centripetal force that causes satellites like the moon to orbit larger bodies like the earth.

What is approximately the velocity of a satellite in circular leo orbit around the earth.

A low earth orbit leo is an earth centred orbit with an altitude of 2 000 km 1 200 mi or less approximately one third of the radius of earth or with at least 11 25 periods per day an orbital period of 128 minutes or less and an eccentricity less than 0 25. My results are slightly different a bit high on orbital altitude and a bit low on velocity. These satellites handle high speed telephone signals and may in the future find a place in the military sector as a tool to provide low latency high bandwidth internet to military personnel around. The height of the orbit or distance between the satellite and earth s surface determines how quickly the satellite moves around the earth.

Where m is the greater mass around which this negligible mass or body is orbiting and v e is the escape velocity. As satellites get closer to earth the pull of gravity gets stronger and the satellite moves more quickly. Medium earth orbit or meo satellites are a bit of a middle ground between leo and geo orbits circling the planet at an altitude of 8 000 miles. A geostationary satellite orbits around the earth in a circular orbit of radius 3600 km.

Suspect the difference may be the result of different values used for g m earth and radius earth. Then the time period of satellite orbiting 2600 km above the earth s surface r earth 6400 km will appoximetely be. For example an iridium satellite flies at approximately 17 000 mph completing an orbit every 100 minutes compared to a geo satellite that typically flies around 7 000 mph. An earth orbiting satellite s motion is mostly controlled by earth s gravity.

This can be used to obtain a more accurate estimate of the average orbital speed. Most of the manmade objects in outer space are in leo. Then the time period of a spy satellite orbiting a few hundred km above the earth s surface r e a r t h 6 4 0 0 k m will approximately be. Thanks to physics if you know the mass and altitude of a satellite in orbit around the earth you can calculate how quickly it needs to travel to maintain that orbit.

There is a large variety of other sources that define leo in terms of. By steven holzner. For an object in an eccentric orbit orbiting a much larger body the length of the orbit decreases with orbital eccentricity e and is an ellipse. Answer to satellite orbit a satellite in a 100 mile high circular orbit around earth has a velocity of approximately 17 500 miles.