A satellite is in circular orbit above the Earth at an altitude of 2000 km. What is the orbital speed of the satellite? what is the equation i need to use
To calculate the orbital speed of a satellite, we can use the formula for the orbital speed of an object in circular motion:
v = √(GM/r),
where:
- v is the orbital speed,
- G is the universal gravitational constant (approximately 6.67 × 10^-11 N m²/kg²),
- M is the mass of the Earth (approximately 5.97 × 10^24 kg), and
- r is the radius of the orbit, which is the sum of the Earth's radius and the altitude of the satellite from the Earth's surface.
In this case, the satellite is at an altitude of 2000 km (or 2000000 meters). The radius of the orbit can be calculated as the sum of the Earth's radius (approximately 6371 km or 6371000 meters) and the altitude of the satellite:
r = 6371000 + 2000000.
Now, let's substitute these values into our equation:
v = √((6.67 × 10^-11 N m²/kg²) * (5.97 × 10^24 kg) / (6371000 + 2000000) meters).
Calculating this expression will give us the orbital speed of the satellite.