This can be used to obtain a more accurate estimate of the average orbital speed.
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.
Unlike geo satellites leo satellites also fly at a much faster pace because of their proximity to earth.
By steven holzner.
Suspect the difference may be the result of different values used for g m earth and radius earth.
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.
The height of the orbit or distance between the satellite and earth s surface determines how quickly the satellite moves around the earth.
Most of the manmade objects in outer space are in leo.
My results are slightly different a bit high on orbital altitude and a bit low on velocity.
Spreadsheet uses 6 674e 11 m3 kg sec2 5 972e 24 kg 6437e 06 m.
An earth orbiting satellite s motion is mostly controlled by earth s gravity.
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.
Then the time period of satellite orbiting 2600 km above the earth s surface r earth 6400 km will appoximetely be.
A geostationary satellite orbits around the earth in a circular orbit of radius 3 6 0 0 0 km.
Where m is the greater mass around which this negligible mass or body is orbiting and v e is the escape velocity.
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.
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.
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.
In space gravity supplies the centripetal force that causes satellites like the moon to orbit larger bodies like the earth.