if a satellite were to be launched with too little speed or too much speed then what would happen?
If a sattellite were to be launched with too much speed then the friction in the air would make it heat up to the point where it would burn up. Earth's gravity wouldn't be strong enough to keep it in orbit, so it could escape. If a sattellite were to be launched with too little speed, then it would become to slow to orbit around earth.
Any other information would be greatly appreciated, and please tell me if my looks correct, thank you in advance:-)
No all that is wrong.
If the satellte is injected into orbital insertion with too much velocity, gravity cant hold it into orbit, and is speed off away from Earth. If speed is too low, it falls into a decaying pattern and comes back to Earth.
Your explanation is partially correct. Let's go into more detail.
1. Launching a satellite with too much speed: If a satellite is launched with excessive speed, it would have more kinetic energy than necessary to maintain a stable orbit. This could result in several scenarios:
a. Escape velocity: If the satellite exceeds escape velocity, which is the minimum velocity required to escape Earth's gravitational pull, it would break free from the Earth's gravity and venture into space. Essentially, it would not be in orbit around the Earth anymore.
b. Highly elliptical or irregular orbit: If the satellite is launched with excessive speed but still lower than escape velocity, it would enter a highly elliptical or irregular orbit around the Earth. In this case, the satellite would travel far away from the Earth during its furthest point in the orbit (apogee) and get closer during its closest point (perigee). This type of orbit may not be desirable for certain satellite missions.
c. Increased atmospheric drag: The excess speed would result in higher atmospheric drag, causing the satellite to experience greater friction with the Earth's atmosphere. This friction would generate heat and could eventually lead to the satellite burning up or disintegrating.
2. Launching a satellite with too little speed: If a satellite is launched with insufficient speed, it will not have enough kinetic energy to counterbalance the gravitational pull of the Earth. Consequently, the satellite would not enter a stable orbit but start falling back towards Earth. Several outcomes are possible:
a. Atmospheric reentry: The satellite could reenter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up due to the intense heat generated by atmospheric friction.
b. Crashing into Earth: If the satellite's speed is insufficient even to maintain a temporary orbit, it would eventually descend and crash into the Earth's surface.
In summary, launching a satellite requires careful calculations to ensure an appropriate speed is achieved to achieve a stable orbit without risking overheating or crashing into Earth due to excess or insufficient speed.