When in circular motion, a satellite remains the same distance above the surface of the earth; that is, its radius of orbit is fixed. Furthermore, its speed remains constant . The speed at positions A, B, C and D are the same.
Does the speed of a satellite change?
A satellite that is going very fast will keep going forward very fast, because of inertia. If a satellite is going very fast, it can go forward so quickly that the pull of gravity can’t keep it in an orbit. ... Changing speed is one way to change the orbit of a satellite or make a satellite leave orbit.
Why does the speed of a satellite not change?
Why aren’t satellites increasing speed because of gravitational acceleration ? Satellites orbiting the earth are experiencing almost as strong gravitation as we do, but they don’t hit the earth because of their velocity outwards and the earth’s curvature.
Why does a satellite travel at a constant speed?
Why does a satellite in a circular orbit travel at a constant speed? There is no component of force acting along the direction of motion of the satellite . The net force acting on the satellite is zero. The gravitational force acting on the satellite is balanced by the centrifugal force acting on the satellite.
What is the speed of a satellite?
To maintain an orbit that is 22,223 miles (35,786 km) above Earth, the satellite must orbit at a speed of about 7,000 mph (11,300 kph) . That orbital speed and distance permits the satellite to make one revolution in 24 hours.
What is the maximum speed of satellite?
This is approximately 17,000 mph (27,359 kph) at an altitude of 150 miles (242 kilometers). Without gravity, the satellite’s inertia would carry it off into space. Even with gravity, if the intended satellite goes too fast, it will eventually fly away.
What speed is needed for orbit?
A spacecraft leaving the surface of Earth, for example, needs to be going about 11 kilometers (7 miles) per second, or over 40,000 kilometers per hour (25,000 miles per hour) , to enter orbit. Achieving escape velocity is one of the biggest challenges facing space travel.
How high are geosynchronous satellites?
Geostationary orbit (GEO)
In order to perfectly match Earth’s rotation, the speed of GEO satellites should be about 3 km per second at an altitude of 35 786 km . This is much farther from Earth’s surface compared to many satellites.
How does a satellite change orbit?
If we want to move a spacecraft to a higher orbit, we have to increase the semimajor axis (adding energy to the orbit) by increasing velocity . On the other hand, to move the spacecraft to a lower orbit, we decrease the semimajor axis (and the energy) by decreasing the velocity.
What happens if a satellite slows down?
If the satellite slows down it would crash into the object it is orbiting . If the satellite speeds up, it may spin off into space. The satellite could be knocked or moved closer or farther from the object it is orbiting.
How fast is space?
For centuries, physicists thought there was no limit to how fast an object could travel. But Einstein showed that the universe does, in fact, have a speed limit: the speed of light in a vacuum (that is, empty space). Nothing can travel faster than 300,000 kilometers per second (186,000 miles per second).
Do satellites move?
Most satellites are launched into space on rockets . A satellite orbits Earth when its speed is balanced by the pull of Earth’s gravity. Without this balance, the satellite would fly in a straight line off into space or fall back to Earth. ... It moves in the same direction and at the same rate Earth is spinning.
What force keeps a satellite in orbit?
Gravity provides the force needed to maintain stable orbit of planets around a star and also of moons and artificial satellites around a planet.
Why can’t satellites travel at any speed in a particular orbit?
Why can’t satellites travel at any speed in a particular orbit? The horizontal speed must give a centripetal acceleration which is exactly equal to the gravitational acceleration . ... The square of the orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit.
Are satellites geostationary?
A geostationary satellite is an earth-orbiting satellite , placed at an altitude of approximately 35,800 kilometers (22,300 miles) directly over the equator, that revolves in the same direction the earth rotates (west to east). ... BGAN, the new global mobile communications network, uses geostationary satellites.
