What is approximate velocity of a low earth orbit satellite

I was pondering this question recently, but most sites I can find only mention the speeds/velocities of the planets around the Sun when I look for 'orbital velocities' of the planets. I tried examining the velocities of moons around other planets, or NASA satellites, but these are all over the proverbial map, and often in very eccentric orbits. Is there a 'Low-Jupiter-Orbit' like there is for Earth (LEO)? What is its altitude and speed? What about a Juno-synchronous or Jupiter-stationary high(er) orbit, as there is for Earth? P.S.: Are there (simple) equations for these orbits? $\begingroup$ Yes, there's a simple equation for circular orbit speed. I'm surprised you didn't find it in your research. ;) However, for low orbits you need to account for atmosphere, which is a bit trickier, especially for the giant planets, which don't have a well-defined surface. Here's some info about atmospheric pressure and altitude: $\endgroup$ Body GM r v Sun 1.33E+20 696340000 436561 Mercury 2.20E+13 2439500 3005 Venus 3.25E+14 6052000 7327 Earth 3.99E+14 6378000 7905 Moon 4.90E+12 1737500 1680 Mars 4.28E+13 3396000 3551 Ceres 6.26E+10 473000 364 Jupiter 1.27E+17 71492000 42096 Saturn 3.79E+16 60268000 25087 Uranus 5.79E+15 25559000 15056 Neptune 6.84E+15 24764000 16615 Pluto 8.71E+11 1188000 856 Eris 1.11E+12 1163000 976 For planets with an atmosphere, a practical low orbit will have a slightly larger radius, and so lower velocity. There may be practical issues with a "low solar orbit"! I...

Contents • 1 Orbital characteristics • 2 Use of LEO • 2.1 Examples • 3 Space debris • 4 See also • 5 Notes • 6 References Orbital characteristics [ ] Objects in LEO encounter atmospheric drag from gases in the thermosphere (approximately 80–500 km up) or exosphere (approximately 500 km and up), depending on orbit height. Due to atmospheric drag, satellites do not usually orbit below 300 km. Objects in LEO orbit Earth between the denser part of the atmosphere and below the inner Van Allen radiation belt. The orbital velocity needed to maintain a stable low Earth orbit is about 7.8 km/s, but reduces with increased orbital altitude. Calculated for circular orbit of 200 km it is 7.79 km/s and for 1500 km it is 7.12 km/s. delta-v needed to achieve low Earth orbit starts around 9.4 km/s. Atmospheric and gravity drag associated with launch typically adds 1.3–1.8 km/s to the launch vehicle delta-v required to reach normal LEO orbital velocity of around 7.8 km/s ( Template:Convert/pround km/h). Equatorial low Earth orbits (ELEO) are a subset of LEO. These orbits, with low inclination to the Equator, allow rapid revisit times and have the lowest delta-v requirement (i.e., fuel spend) of any orbit. Orbits with a high inclination angle to the equator are usually called Higher orbits include geostationary orbit (GEO). Orbits higher than low orbit can lead to early failure of electronic components due to intense radiation and charge accumulation. Use of LEO [ ] Roughly half an orbit of ...

Low Earth Orbit One type of LEO is the Sun synchronous orbit where the orbit plane of the spacecraft is maintained at a nearly fixed angle relative to the Sun. This allows the spacecraft to cross the equator at the same local earth time during each orbit. From: Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology (Third Edition), 2003 Related terms: • Energy Engineering • Antenna • Orbit Determination • NASA • Orbits • Space Stations • Earth Orbit LEO satellites have a circular (or elliptical) orbit at a height of 250–2000km from the Earth surface ( Figure 14.3). The orbit period, mainly depending on the altitude, varies in the range 90–120min. As the altitude of LEO satellites is low, their velocity is very high (>25,000km/h) and they make 12–16 Earth turns per Earth day. It means that a LEO satellite experiences at least 12 to 16 sunlight and night periods in 24h. Consequently, in LEO orbit, the maximum time during which a satellite is above the local horizon for an observer on the Earth is up to 20min. This time is used to transfer data, images, and photographs to selected ground stations positioned in strategic locations. FIGURE 14.3. GEO, LEO, MEO and HEO orbit positions around earth. (For color version, refer to the plate section.) LEO satellites can have orbits inclined 0–90° vs. the equatorial plane, and inclination induces slight difference in the eclipse time. Considering an altitude of 650km, the maximum eclipse time is close to 35min. But with an inclination angle c...

By • A low earth orbit (LEO) satellite is an object, generally a piece of electronic equipment, that circles around the earth at lower altitudes than LEO Most of the man-made objects orbiting earth are in LEO. Satellites made for communications benefit from the lower LEO satellites are generally less costly to place as they require a great deal less rocket power to place. As compared to geosynchronous orbiting satellites at 36,000 km, LEO travel through a much denser atmosphere and thus experience far more aerodynamic drag. This means they require more power to travel at higher speeds and make corrections to maintain their lower orbits. Where geosynchronous satellite orbits in time with earth rotation at about 3.06 x 10 3 meters per second an LEO satellite might travel at 7.78 x 10 3 meters per second, orbiting many times a day. The ISS orbits at 400 km and makes a full revolution round the earth about every 93 minutes . LEO satellites have a much smaller field of communication with earth than a satellite at greater altitude. They also have a faster rotation around the earth. These factors necessitate a The range of LEO satellites ends where medium earth orbit (MEO) begins at 2,000 km. MEO extends to the reaches of geostationary or geosynchronous orbit. Related Terms Bring your own carrier (BYOC) is a method of letting businesses choose their own carrier to connect their unified communications ... Churn rate is a measure of the number of customers or employees who leave a ...

In very simple terms, low Earth orbit (LEO) is exactly what it sounds like: An orbit around the Earth with an altitude that lies towards the lower end of the range of possible orbits. This is around 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) or less. The majority of satellites are to be found in LEO, as is the International Space Station (ISS). This really does happen in the case of a spacecraft that’s travelling extremely fast — faster than the Earth’s escape velocity, which is 25,000 mph (11.2 km/s). On the other hand, if an object is travelling much more slowly, such as Blue Origin’s suborbital rocket Related: Laika the space dog: First living creature in orbit The speed of 17,500 mph (7.8 km/s) is the speed at which the force of gravityprevents an object from flying off at a tangent. The result is that an object moving at this speed will simply go round and round the Earth. This is a horizontal speed, parallel to the surface of the planet. This may seem confusing if you’ve ever watched a space launch, because rockets generally go straight up vertically when they blast off. But that’s because they need to get up above the atmosphere — or the greatest part of it — as quickly as possible to avoid drag forces. But once they are above the atmosphere they switch to horizontal motion. When a satellite reaches orbital speed, it is officially in orbit. Satellites in low Earth orbit The orbital speed of 7.8 km/s (17,500 mph), refers to the LEO regime just above the Earth’s atmosphere. At hi...

Another small satellite development contract might not seem like a big deal given the many smallsats now in production (and in space) for communications, data and imaging purposes. But Earth Observant’s development contract may signal a new trend: sending small satellites up to relatively low altitudes. Satellites which fly in low Earth orbit (LEO) typically ascend to an altitude of 500 kilometers (310 miles) or higher above earth. VLEO sats like Earth Observant’s proposed “Stingray” imaging satellite fly at 300 km or less. At 250 km where the startup says Stingray will fly, satellites are still basically in Earth’s atmosphere. That comes with some downsides like aerodynamic drag and strong gravitational pull, which are significant enough to make a spacecraft’s orbit decay in less than 5 years, requiring changes in traditional designs. The Starlink team is building 120 smallsats each month and the Federal Communications Commission has approved SpaceX’s scheme to build out the Starlink constellation to 12,000 satellites. The company has applied for rights to add 30,000 more. Amazon Low Flying Fish Earth Observant’s Stingray is a 400-pound, 8-foot by 8-foot optical imaging satellite with a Space Shuttle-like body, or “bus,” as it’s called in the industry. The shape helps reduce aerodynamic drag at the altitude at which Stingray will fly. It may also aid maneuverability for other purposes though we didn’t discuss it with Earth Observant. Earth Observant's Stingray satellite w...