Satellite motion
Learning objectives
- To simulate the behaviour of an artificial satellite orbiting the Earth.
- To understand what a geostationary orbit is and how it is reached.
Once launched, the only forces governing the motion of a satellite are the force of gravity (rose vector) and centrifugal force (not shown). The satellite’s speed is shown by a green vector. You can change the speed in real time or start an automatically synchronized sequence.
Satellites will orbit in paths which are ellipses. Circular motion, as in a geostationary orbit, is achieved under very precise conditions.
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